dizzojay | 100 Days of Happiness

Mr D. bought 'Hobbes' for me at a toy store closing down sale many years ago. He saw him in passing and bought him because of this Hobbes' resemblance to Hobbes, the adorable tiger from 'Calvin and Hobbes' one of my favourite cartoon strips.

For a couple of years Hobbes graced my bedroom, sitting on one of the units and being admired from afar. It wasn't until 2007 that he came into his own.

In 2007 I had an accident and ended up with a dislocated shoulder and a multiple fracture of my upper arm which was repaired surgically. One unforeseen problem that I encountered during my recovery was finding a comfortable sleeping position. Lying on my back with my arm resting on my chest got uncomfortable very quickly, and turning on my side meant that my arm was hanging down, unsupported through the damaged area and putting strain on my shoulder, and that got uncomfortable even more quickly.

I tried supporting my arm with a pillow, which was okay, but took up a lot of space in the bed (after all, I did have to fit a husband in there too). Then on day, in a flash of inspiration, I remembered Hobbes.

Smaller than a pillow, he was round and squishy and became the perfect 'body pillow' during my recovery. After my recovery, I decided I really benefited from having a Hobbes-shaped body pillow, I'd been enjoying some of the best nights' sleep of my life, and so Hobbes' found his purpose in life.

Now, Hobbes can never be found far from our bed, and he can take credit for giving me many wonderfully comfortable and restful nights' sleep.

Like another famous, stripy toy cat, he's saggy and a bit loose at the seams, but I love him!