Creature Comforts

A few years ago one of my friends was having a really hard time in her personal life. It took months and months before she began to see light at the end of the tunnel, and during that period each day felt unwieldy, as if she was moving around in the dark. Unfortunately, the one badge of adulthood that we all get to wear is the reality that no matter how hard things are, you still have to show up. You have work responsibilities, or bills to pay, dishes to clean, or mouths to feed. It's rare that someone can curl up in a ball and mourn without life interrupting with a loud knock.

I remember my friend saying that during those months, whenever her life became unbearable, she would order take out for dinner and curl up in bed with her kids to watch movies all evening. They watched silly, happy, feel-good movies together as they snuggled under the covers, and somehow those hours helped pave the way toward better times.

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I remember another friend telling me about how when their family was having a tough time, her husband came home carrying a grocery sack full of every type of candy imaginable. I've always remembered that story and the tenderness of that husband's gesture. He wasn't trying to fix it. When life gets to be a certain type of hard there isn't anything anyone can do, and no one can take it away. But with the bag of candy he was saying, I know you're hurting. But here, let me help you feel better for a little while!

Happy movies. Take-out. Chocolate. An entire weekend with the telephone off the hook. A stack of beach books. Long walks. Quiet bubble baths with votive candles lit along the edge of the tub. There is much to be said for these simple creature comforts, and their ability to transport us, even temporarily, up and away from whatever is dragging at our ankles. They remind us that life won't always feel this hard, and it won't!