Leia

I love her.

This morning I was lowering myself to the living room so that I could play whatever Maybelle was it she wanted.  As my butt was almost on the floor, I dropped my Leia coffee cup.

Happy ending!  She was not damaged by this event!  

But the whole experience helped me to feel things.  Yes, of course, I'm glad that Maybelle's fine in the process  Always #1, and Brian and I both spent good little bits of time with her assure her that this wasn't fault.

Then #2 was my attention to the coffee up.  Okay, if I'm going to be honest, Maybelle was immediately fine.  So my attention went to the coffee cup.

How long have I had this Princess coffee cup as part of my life?  Five years?  A decade?  Maybe.  Trey was the one he got it for me. Trey's mostly the Star Wars expertise in my life, even though his true love might go to Star Trek.  I have tshirts--shirts that many loved ones have given to me--but Trey has gotten most of them.  Those shirts are great.  But the most important gift is the Princess Leia mug.

It's more than my respect for the cup--although I do respect it, of course.  But this cup is doing more than that.  It's large.  I wrap my hands around it when it's hot coffee--it's the perfect temperature that lets me have the best moment of the day.  Leia feels confident and tough.  She will kick the ass of people who are standing in her way.  And when she's caught, she remains her strength despite facing attacks on her mind and her home planet--things that terrify or break her heart.  She's one of the heroes in the Star Wars world.  Yes, yes, we all have various kinds of critique we could make about Leia.  Trust me, I do this kind of critique in my job, so I can do it.

But the point here isn't for me to share my critiques, at least not today.  The point for me is ultimately Princess Leia's identity.  When I had the moment this morning that I had lost this cup, I realized that this cup, and the character it represents, is something I'm holding on to.  Clinging.  My body is unpredictable these days, so it's especially important to have my coffee cup and Leia.  I might feel tired, or nauseated, or just sad, and Leia's cup is there.  It gives me a grounding.