Daddy Daughter Dig Day

Labor day, memorial day, something like that?

 It was one of those hot weather three day weekend summertime holiday sales events. Really, the exact one doesn't matter because that's not what stands out in my mind. Raegan and i made a special trip to our local Half Price Books for a 20% off total purchase sale. 

My daughter Raegan and I have been out shopping together more often than i can remember by this point in time. I had taken her out record shopping before as well, but this weekend sale started something new. Maybe a bit of her growing personality or character coming out? 

Maybe she was just imitating something she'd seen me do multiple times before? 

For whatever reason, today was a day that her little exploring hands and arms reached out of her papoose and began flipping through bins of vinyl records with daddy. She pulled specific albums up to look at their covers more closely. Some she would get excited and shake them about in her jiggly little chubby arms. Others she'd plop right back down in the bin and continue flipping until she found one that caught her eye. Once or twice she'd thrust her head back into my chest, looked upward at me from the papoose, and shove her find into my face. Sharing a copy of some classic rock bands greatest hits with me. Seeking approval from the tone of my voice, or expression on my face. 

My first thoughts of course were towards the expense of her damaging an album. That changed from the break it you buy it fear to one of wonder and affection. She wasn't just reaching out and blindly grabbing records anymore. She was reaching out to me. Something she'd seen me do so many times. Something that may seem insignificant to so many other people.

Something that before just fueled my collection and love of music in it's finest form became an activity that we could share. Our ritual, our bonding experience, our dig day. Daddy daughter dig day. I don't expect everyone to understand the event exactly. I wonder if Audra, my fiancé/lover/partner, even understood it at the time. I'm lucky to have found it when i did. We lose track of important elements of our relationships with our children these days. We don't always look at these things as being stand out moments. Sometimes we forget them. We get seperated as people, and we have a hard time finding our connection to eachother. Be it family or friends; it just seems to happen, and it hurts when it does. 

Raegan and I found something that day we will always be able to share and connect on. Something that we will both keep forever. There may be a day when Raegan feels like she can't communicate with me. A day when she's away at college and she feels disconnected but needs me. A day when I'm long gone from this world and she needs to feel that safety and love I've always worked so hard to make sure she feels. If and when these days or moments occur, she'll be able to look at the many days we went record shopping. 

She will put a needle on a record and the rich sound of vinyl will let her feel the warmth of daddy's arms holding her. That she will hear my voice in the analog background noise of a record telling her that i love her and that everything is okay. That I will never be far away, and will always come running at the speed of sound when she needs me. Even if it's only at 33 or 45rpms.