No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on May 18, 2020

May 18, 2020 Day 64 of the Homebound Saga (Now I have ‘When I am Sixty-Four’ in my head)

COMFORT 

noun

1. A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.

“room for four people to travel in comfort”

2. The easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief or distress.

“a few words of comfort”

Today Caroline has her second AP exam. 

She asked me to make her an Egg Bagel because it is a comfort food for her.

Which got me to thinking about comfort in all its forms.

Comfort is something I know we all need right now. We pretty much need it in our lives all the time but right now we need it more.

We have our favorite comfort foods, clothing, shows, movies, and objects.

I take comfort from petting my cats who seem to take comfort in my petting.

Mac and cheese is a comfort food for me. My mother would make it from scratch, so I learned how to make it the way she did, and I am very glad I did. In terms of desserts, my mother’s cake with buttercream icing which is amazing and give me lots of pleasant memories.

Peter has a blanket that he uses to cover himself when he naps. He was given that blanket when we flew back to New York from Jacksonville after his stroke. We call it the Stephen King blanket since it was Stephen who got us home that snowy day. It gives him comfort.

Caroline has the remnants of her pink blankie in a pouch she made. That blanket was given to her by Harlan and Susan Ellison. It was that one blanket that she could not go to sleep at night without. Pink blanket had a lot of adventures before it became pink raggy. She still takes comfort in it. 

I have my stuffed rabbit that I have had most of my life. His name is Ruzzy and he is beat up and old with stitches that my mother sewed carefully to keep his stuffing in and slightly sloppier stitches where I repaired him. He has always been there for me and knows all my secrets and wishes. Funny thing is that a number of them came true. He still gives me comfort and warm feelings when I hug him.

There are TV shows and Movies I turn to when I am feeling down. Baron Munchausen means a lot to me for so many reasons and I got to tell Terry Gilliam that. Buckaroo Banzai is another one I use to escape. Then there are the Muppets in all their forms, but especially the Muppet Show. 

I have some t-shirts that are worn to a weft. These pieces of clothing give me comfort because of the material or where I got them. I still have my original Center for Puppetry Arts t-shirt which has my favorite logo for the Center. 

Then there is a verb version of the word.

COMFORT

Verb Ease the grief or distress of; console.

“she broke down in tears and her friend tried to comfort her”

There is a lot of grief and distress in our lives right now. Some have it more than others, but none are invalid. 

We are grieving for what we have lost and distressed with what is coming.

Again, these are valid feelings.

We try to comfort each other. 

People are doing all sort of things to comfort and amuse others during this trying time. People are letting others know they are there if they need to talk or vent or cry. 

Most of the therapists I know are booked solid, but many states are making sure that the mental health lines are opened and working. 

Comfort is important to the human condition. We need to be in the here and now for others. We needed to indulge what we find comfort in.

I am grateful for things that comfort me.

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