Reading today from: Chapter 1 — “Plastic Time Machines,” printed pages 15–18.

When we get older, we treat our childhood toys like artifacts that no longer matter — pieces from another era that belonged to a smaller, simpler us.

But today’s section of Toys Are Totems reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth.

On page 15, the journey begins with this idea:

our toys weren’t just decorations, hobbies, or distractions.

They were carriers — silent vessels that moved pieces of our original identity forward through time.

They held:

who we wanted to be, who we thought we were, and who we quietly hoped we could become.

The bite marks, scuffs, chipped paint, missing accessories…

those weren’t imperfections — they were timestamps.

They told the story of a younger self interacting with the world and testing belief through imagination.

And the toy that survived — the one still remembered, still cherished, or still sitting on a shelf decades later — wasn’t chosen by accident.

As the introduction says (page 10), it was:

“a symbolic artifact of who you were, who you still are, and who you might dare to become.”

That’s the heart of today’s focus.

These objects are Time Machines:

They transport us back to the moment before adulthood told us who we needed to be.

They remind us of the untrained, unfiltered version of self that existed long before shame, comparison, or insecurity entered the room.

They hold the first spark.

So as you listen today, and as I read from pages 15 through 18, let that idea circulate:

If the toy is a time capsule,

what was your younger self trying to send you?

Because whatever remains in your memory…

remains for a reason.

It still matters.

It’s still speaking.

And the purpose of Day 2 is simple:

Listen.

I’ll see you on the podcast.

Now, Go Play!

Jim 12/02/2025