Sometimes I try to remember what life was like pre-Blythe for me. I got Sophie in 2009, when I was 19. I was in university at the time (I was in post-secondary for a long time – eight years!). I had hobbies before Sophie and before Blythe, but I have a harder time trying to figure out what I filled my time with.

I think part of it was because I chose to attend a university that was different from the majority of my friends from high school. Many of them opted to attend one closer to home and didn’t have as long of a commute. Looking back, I still struggle to figure out why I decided to go to that school. It was an hour and a half to two hours of public transit commute each way versus the 30 minute commute (one way) commute for another school. I was spending a lot of time on public transit, I was going to school without people I knew (granted, I did make friends), but it was hard for me at the time. It wasn’t the same when I decided to pursue another degree at another school (a little bit older, a little bit wiser?).

Blythe was a happy shining light in my life at that point, because I needed something simple, something that wasn’t complex and didn’t require as much as energy and time and attention as school needed. I played with dolls a little bit as a child, I had a Barbie, but nothing quite to the level of commitment as I somehow ended up making with Blythe.

There’s just something about Blythe that makes me smile. She came into my life at a moment when I needed a little bit of happy. Having something that I enjoy is a great thing, the beauty of Blythe is that each person sees Blythe differently. Everyone enjoys Blythe in their own way, and that’s the wonderful thing about this hobby.

The best thing I’ve gotten out of this hobby is the fun of Blythe, and the wonderful people that I wouldn’t otherwise have gotten the chance to meet and interact with. Life is better with a doll.