A FOX NAMED MISTER

Maturity is similar to every other stage of life: some of it is fun, some of it is difficult, and most of it is unexpected.  Think about it.  While most of us mature folks have silver hair and like naps in the afternoon, and try to avoid chores we dislike, that description is similar to a young child, except for the color of the hair.  And I learned a long time ago from my grandmother that inside we don’t necessarily feel ‘old’.  I put ‘old’ in quotes because I dislike the term unless it is applied to antique cars, antique furniture - well, anything antique.

So, getting to the real subject at hand, recently we watched a new version of a film about ‘The Little Prince’, based on the book by Antoine de Saint Exupery.  The story is considered for children, but it is so much more than that.  Since I do not have the capability of expressing the full loveliness and enchantment of the story, I will tell about how I related to it at this mature time of life.  There is this fox.  He is clever and independent and observant, as most foxes are.  He is charming.  And he charmed me.

Then, while we were spending a bit of time in a local bookstore, sipping coffee and looking at magazines, I decided to stroll around.  I passed the children’s section, and there was a fox!  Actually, there were all sorts of creatures, but included was a fox!  Well, I wanted it, but really, it sounded absurd that what I wanted was essentially a toy.  But I did want it.  For several weeks, I thought about that fox, and then a coupon came along, very near my birthday, and I decided that someone who had achieved that level of ‘maturity’ could certainly have a fox if she wanted it.  So I got him.

Mister Fox, for that is his name, decided between him and me, has proven to be much more than a toy.  He has become a talisman evoking fun and laughter among myself and the two other household members.  Mister Fox really gets around.  He has appeared on the computer, in various chairs, in fact in places one would never expect a fox to visit, and every time, we laugh, we dismiss worries for a while, we just appreciate Mr. Fox and the inspiration he has brought to us to remember our hearts are young.