Comfort

Comfort. 

The very word makes me feel warm and safe. I suppose that’s because I have known the word for my entire life and understand that word and feeling go together.

We all have things that make us feel comfortable. Most of us had a stuffed animal or a blanket that we clung to, sucked on, talked to and wherever we went that item would come with us. I can’t remember what my go to comfort was, whether a blanket or teddy, I am sure I had one. There comes a time when our parents want us to leave our “binky” alone and only use it at night or not at all. I suspect that they are less concerned for us than embarrassed that their 13 year old is carrying a ratty old comforter to school with him.

We do eventually grow out of or away from that “blanket” or “binky”, but do we really. There is a teenager that walks past our house on the way to school every day and she always wears the same coat, fall, winter and spring. I am sure that she feels it makes her look good and by wearing it she feels better about herself. She feels comfortable. I cling to many things that make me feel comfortable. There can be an argument that I cling to them for far too long, but I say it is just long enough.

There are foods that make us comfortable. They remind us of an earlier time in our lives when we were sheltered and protected by our parents from the world. Now that they can no longer protect us we resort to the memories of that protection. Mac and cheese. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, Mom’s meatloaf, chocolate chip cookies, lasagne, spaghetti, Captain Crunch cereal, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Kool-aid in an aluminium glass with ice. Those are just a few of mine and I’m sure that we could all fill a page or two of favourites. Sometimes our spouses just don’t understand because more often than not our comfort foods are not as tasty to others as they are to us.

I also find that clothing becomes more comfortable the older it gets. Sometimes those holes and paint stains bring comfort because of the history you have with the clothing. The pants, t-shirt or underwear have stretched to fit our shape and something new just wouldn’t fit as well. Those clothes just look old and worn to others. Sometimes it’s just that others don’t quite understand.

People can also become comfortable. They also become old and worn and fit just right.

I suppose there are people who are comfortable where ever they happen to be and in whatever they happen to be wearing. They like all kinds of food and anything old just needs to be tossed out. These people are freaks and should be avoided at all costs!