I realized today that my doll affection isn’t a completely new phenomenon. Back when Moon was small, someone gave her a poseable Madeleine, the classic storybook character. Moon’s red hair was even redder back then, and I think Madeleine’s giver thought Moon would enjoy the resemblance. But Moon never liked dolls. Instead, she spent hours dressing and feeding her stuffed animals. She even had a wooden high chair for them. I figured it must have been the fur. Maybe we’d have been able to get her interested in a doll… if Toys ‘R Us had sold a werewolf baby.

So I kept Madeleine for myself. I kind of identified with her… we’re both youngest children, after all, and I used to dye my hair a not-found-in-nature red. I took her to work with me. When I started my current job, I took a hard look at the feng shui of my office and decided to create a prosperity corner. Once I hung my crystal and created a small arrangement with my stones and Chinese coin, I thought about what might represent my intention. What represented prosperity in this environment? My eyes wandered to Madeleine, and I remembered that she had come with a change of clothes. A bathrobe and slippers. Perfect!

Comfy in her fluffy pink robe, she keeps my eyes on my intention… to attract dedicated students who will become excellent massage therapists.

Every now and then, Pete asks me, “How’s Madeleine doing today?” Right now we are pretty darned busy, which is exactly the way I like it.