Robe

I bought my dad a robe for Christmas. It was the softest, warmest, snuggliest robe I could find. My dad lives in his robe. He just retired. He'll be living in his robe even more. Not in a crazy, don't-do-anything-but-crosswords-and-yell-at-the-neighborkids sort of a way. Just in a finally-have-some-time-at-home-after-travelling-nonstop-for-the-last-15-years way.

As a little girl, I remember my dad would always make dinner, clean up, and change into his robe. We'd all go downstairs to play or draw or whatever and my dad would settle in to watch TV. Some nights, he'd make popcorn and I'd snuggle into the side of him. It was the best feeling in the whole world. It didn't matter what we watched. (Except the news. Or football. Those were not snuggling up programs. Those were stay-out-of-dad's-way-while-he-yells-at-the-TV shows.)

I'm a little hyphen-happy in this post-for-some-reason.

So anyway, I found this super snuggly robe and bought it for my dad. I wrapped it and put it under the tree where our kitty attacked it, tearing a hole in the paper and taking off with the ribbons. But I left it and waited for him to visit. Which he did.

Last time he was here we went to Strawberry Hot Springs. You have to walk quite a ways in your swim suit at this place and it can be quite chilly. A robe is so necessary for hot springing in winter. And hot springing in winter in and of itself is so necessary. My dad LOVED it. He almost for a split second thought about moving here for it.

Which says a lot. He's a big city guy. Opera, nice meals, lots of people, public transit, huge organizations of AA and whatnot to get involved in, more restaurants, plays, that's his scene.

We live in a small, mountain town with weird mountain characters that you run into overandoverandover again at the grocery store or wherever. Its rare I go anywhere without seeing someone I know. And I'm not all that social.

So anyway, I thought I'd get this super soft robe for him to keep at my house and always feel welcome and take to the hot springs and stuff. He opened it and loved it. Said, get this, he didn't have a robe right now. So he was super excited about this robe. It was the perfect color for his silvery goatee and the perfect size for his buddha belly.

My grandmother always kept toothbrushes for each of us at her house. It made it feel part yours. You were thought of. Planned for. Waited for. Wanted. Loved.

I hoped my dad would feel the same way about his robe.

He decided to go to Target to buy another one, so he could have one at home and one at my house. He bought me one too.

Last night I was soooooo cold. I just couldn't get warm. I had my down comforter wrapped around me and down slippers on and the cat but it just wasn't cutting it. So I wrapped up in my robe and read myself to sleep.

It made me feel warm. And snuggled and thought of. Planned for. Waited for. Wanted. Loved.