My Pink Fuzzy Robe

            I have a pink fuzzy robe. A pink fuzzy robe that fits me like a glove.

 My pink fuzzy robe is permanently stained around the sleeves from throwing wood in the wood stove, from wiping snotty noses and yogurt covered faces. The sleeves are stained from the pellet dust that grinds itself in as I am hauling forty-pound bags. They are stained from dirty laundry, paint, pencils, and pastels. My robe proudly displays a hole, created either by the ash or the heat from the wood stove at the height of winter’s cold. It is so worn that “clean” has become a relative term. But my pink fuzzy robe is my staple, my warmth, and my comfort.

            I cannot get up in the morning, get out of the shower, or enter my house without donning my robe, whether -30 or 60, my robe is the first thing I grab. Though I wear my robe inside the house regularly, I have been known to wander outside, still securely wrapped in it’s warmth, to watch the girls go sledding, to collect the mail, to chat with a passing neighbor or friend, or simply to enjoy a cup of coffee in the sun, on my front porch. I often joke that passing cars must think I am a little “touched”. They must believe that I never get dressed, when in reality I simply slip my robe over my clothing.

            Living in a place that sees 6 months of winter, a robe comes in handy simply for warmth.  Living in a farmhouse built in 1876 with extensive drafts necessitates the ownership of a robe. Stepping out of a hot shower in the middle of winter, I grab my robe so as not to let the shower’s warmth seep from my skin. On a cold and rainy day, like today, my robe blocks out the dampness and the cold. It creates a cocoon of warmth.

            I feel naked without my robe. I have realized that throughout the years it has become more to me than merely a piece of clothing that keeps out the drafts. It’s stains, holes, and wear tell a story. It signifies “home”. A place where I do not need to put up pretenses; pretend to be shiny, pretty, or happy. I can relax and be my imperfect pink fuzzy self.