Chapter 5: Appreciate Comfort
Comfort makes you feel good. It also separates you from extreme hardship. Comfort is essentially a luxury that you are lucky to possess. Even just having a comfortable couch sets you apart from people who are homeless and have no comforts in life. Comfort can give you something to look forward to, and it can make you feel better after a long, hard day. It is something that you should definitely appreciate.
Appreciate warmth in winter. Whether you get warmth from a heater or a woodstove or a fireplace, this heat is comfortable. Appreciate the comfortable warmth that coats, mittens, boots, and hats can provide your body when you venture out into the frigid weather. Appreciate hot drinks, like apple cider, that fill your body with warmth and comfort.
Appreciate coolness in summer. The feeling of the air conditioning, the coolness offered by shorts and tank tops, and the coolness of the pool are all comforts that can dissipate the annoying heat of the summer. Nothing feels better than knocking back a cold drink or entering an air conditioned room when it is insufferably warm outside.
Appreciate the softness of your bed. Some people do not get to sleep on a mattress. Your mattress is a luxury that cradles your body through the night, making sleep more enjoyable and relaxing for you. Appreciate your soft blankets and the gentle warmth and the sense of safety they give you as you snooze. Appreciate the comfort of sleep when you are tired. Sleep feels like a soft cloud, descending over you and lulling into a place where you do not have any cares or worries.
Appreciate the comfort of thick-soled shoes. Appreciate the way they protect your feet from hot pavement, cold snow, and soreness from standing for too long. If you work in a field where you have to stand or walk a lot, you will appreciate this comfort even more.
Appreciate the comfort of a familiar voice. Even when you are scared or the world seems to be falling apart, hearing the voice of someone you love can ground you and relieve your fear.
Appreciate the comforts of food. Even food that is bad for you and causes you some guilt can be a wonderful treat now and then. Appreciate how good food makes you feel full and content. Appreciate how food can elevate your mood. Appreciate how when you are sad, a bite of chocolate or ice cream can make you feel better. Above all, appreciate the comfort of your mom’s or gramma’s specialties.
Appreciate the comfort of certain textures. A silk robe, plush pajamas, and deep slippers can make you so comfortable. They embrace your body and ease your soreness or tiredness. They help relax you and dissipate the tension in your muscles. All day, you can look forward to curling up in your favorite comfortable clothes.
Appreciate your comfy clothes. These can be sports clothes, or sweats that are falling apart. These could be pajamas. These can be ugly, oversized, stained, and stretched-out clothes that should be in the trash. But you save them because they are just so comfortable. You may never dare to go out in public in these clothes, but you can look forward to relaxing in them.
Appreciate the comfort of routine. Structure can prevent you from feeling stressed. You can use the routine of your day as guides for how to live and pass the time. There is comfort in structure rather than chaos and confusion.
Appreciate the comfort of family tradition. Old traditions can be very comforting. You can find comfort in watching the same holiday movies with your family in the days leading up to Christmas. You can find comfort in eating the same dishes at Thanksgiving. Tradition can remind you of the nostalgic past, and reassure you that no matter what happens, the things you love are still there.
Appreciate the comfort of electricity. Not everyone in the world can flick on lights whenever they want. Electricity is something that we take for granted, but it really is a luxury. You do not realize how much you depend on it and how easy it makes life until you don’t have it.
Appreciate the comfort of running water, especially hot water. You can wash your hands in warmth and take a hot bath. You can enjoy warmth without any effort on your part.
Appreciate the comfort of cars. You can go anywhere you need at any time with cars. They make life easier. They, too, are a luxury that many people do not have. If you don’t own a car, appreciate the comforts of easy public transit.
Appreciate the comfort of your job. Your job keeps your bills paid. There is comfort in knowing that you have a paycheck coming soon. Even if times are hard financially, you are not starving. There is comfort in that. There is also comfort in knowing that money comes and goes, and one day things will be better than they are now.
Appreciate the comfort of furniture. If you have ever gone camping, you will understand how life feels without furnishings. They add so much comfort and character to your home. You have places to sit down and set things down on.
Appreciate the comfort of silence. Sometimes, quiet is what you need. Appreciate quietness and let it envelop you in calm. Let the voices in your head fall to a hush to match the silence around you. Let the din of the world fade behind you, to be dealt with at another time.
Appreciate the comfort of being able to get food at any time. You can just pull through a drive-thru at a fast food restaurant or order pizza or Chinese. Now you can even use a few buttons on an app in your phone to order food. You probably no longer have to slave away at a garden or farm field just to provide for your family.
Appreciate the comfort of knowing that there is an entire team of firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders there to protect your safety. You are fairly safe.