We All Need To Feel Needed

We all have a purpose in life.  Possibly, we have several purposes of varying impact upon the world.

I believe that Rich’s most important purpose is to spread warmth.

You can hold your hand up to an inch away from Rich and feel heat radiating off of him.  This goes a long way towards explaining why he dislikes the beach and temperatures above 82.  He can go outside for long periods of time, without a coat, in temperatures down to 20 degrees.  Fortunately for me and the girls, he is generous with his heat.

This winter Reagan refuses to wear shirts with sleeves, or sweaters, or any sweatshirt that does not have a hood attached to it.  Not surprisingly, she is cold a lot.  She has taken to flinging herself at Rich and then attaching her long, lanky self until she has warmed up.  Faith is nicer about it.  She won’t wear socks and runs around the house playing until her feet are blocks of ice.  When that happens, she searches out her dad and curls up next to him (or on him) for a snuggle.  The snuggle lasts just until she’s warm again and then she’s off.

I look at my thermostat and it says 68 degrees which I know in my head is a perfectly reasonable inside temperature in January.  My bones would argue the point.  The very marrow of my bones is cold.  This despite the two layers of clothes and socks and slippers.  I am cold all the time unless Rich is here and I am next to him on the couch under a blanket.  Then I am almost warm.  At night, I go to bed first.  My side of the bed has two extra layers of blanket and I wear a shirt under my long pajamas and socks.  Three nights ago I was so cold that I also wore a hoodie with the hood pulled up over my head.  All of this is necessary just to fall asleep without shivering.

Then Rich comes to bed.

I try to wait until he’s comfortably asleep before I begin moving stealthily over to his side to get all the radiating warmth.  After a few hours I can usually ditch the socks.  (I loathe sleeping in socks.)  Without him, I shudder to envision what our heating bill would be.

Rich has a lot of useful skills and a good heart.  Possibly his impact upon the world goes beyond being a walking heater.  After all, he plays in up to seven worship services a month and is in management at work.  It is probable that Rich touches a lot of lives in a lot of ways.  In December through February though, I care nothing about any of that.  I want him home fulfilling his primary purpose:  keeping me from freezing to death.

Comments

[Heather in ND]

I'm starting from the beginning, Mindee!! :D

And I can completely relate to this post. Corey is my heater and I am freezing all the time!!!