Today is Easter. My niece and nephew were visiting for the weekend and I was reminded of a story that I have long enjoyed. In today’s contentious times I think more of us could do well to work on becoming Real. I am working on it.

“You become.

It takes a long time.

That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams