Of Bathrobes and Blanket

Last Christmas I bought my wife a plush UGG house robe. This is to replace her old robe that is way more than ten years old and starting to get tattered. However she said that even though she appreciate the gift she still prefers her old robe and she ended up exchanging the new robe for something else. She exchanged it for a Versace gown. Just kidding.

Maybe it is how that old bathrobe feel that she has gone accustomed to. Or maybe it is the nostalgia of wearing an old familiar garment. Or maybe it is the memories that is associated with that robe that she wants to hold on to.

I gave her that bathrobe many years ago when our kids were still little. I believe it was also Christmas season, and I had my kids in tow at the mall when I bought it. It was actually my children who picked that one. To be honest, it was not that expensive nor luxurious compared to the one I just bought recently. But she like our gift, and has used it since, especially during cold mornings. She would prepare our breakfast while wearing it. She would have her morning tea while wearing it. She would be homeschooling our kids while wearing it. She even would go outside to the garden and talk to her plants in the morning while wearing it. I believe that robe grew on her.

We humans are creatures of habit. Once we find something that makes us feel good, it would be hard to break that habit. We would be defiant to make a change. Or in the case of my wife, she would not change her robe even how old and shabby it is, because she likes it. I think many people have something of an old clothing article that we hold on to even how worn out they are. Like that ragged college sweat shirt you are still wearing. It is like a security blanket.

Speaking of blanket, my son has a favorite one that he cannot let go. We got it for him when he was still sleeping in a crib. As he grew and learned to walk, he dragged that blanket all around the house. He dragged that blanket even out of the house. He brought it along when we go on vacations. In fact, our relatives in the Philippines were envious of that blanket, as they said that the blanket is better than them as it was well-traveled. It has gone not just to different destinations in the US but also places outside the US, including the Philippines. Many days in our home you could find him doing math problems during our homeschool session with the blanket draped around his shoulders like Superman’s cape.

I know that blanket felt soft and velvety when it was new, but not anymore. It is frayed and coarse now. Yet it probably represents all the comfort of home and the cherished memories of childhood.

My son is going to college this fall. He will not be very far away from home though as the university he chose to go is only 51 miles away from our home or less than an hour drive from us. But it is too far for a daily commute and the drive could be treacherous during winter. So he will be staying in a dorm. Will his treasured blanket leave for college too?

Our daughter have been out of the house for a few years already. Now it is our son’s turn to go. We are already dreading the day he leaves home, especially my wife. After homeschooling both of our children and having them home all the time, now we’re entering another phase – empty nesters. We are definitely not yet ready for this.

My wife already plans to visit our son frequently when he is in college. She said that she can schedule lunch or even breakfast with him. Though our son teased her that she needs approval first from his personal planner.

Who knows, the old bathrobe and the broken down blanket would still ran into each other.

(*photo from this site)