Comfort means many things to many people. Comfort is probably what we felt in the womb, before we were propelled out into the bright light and sucked in that first gulp of cold air. We have comfort foods, comfortable beds, and comfortable clothes; even soothing music can provide the comfort we seek. I have a large stuffed chair, with a matching ottoman, that I like to curl up in with a soft, warm throw. As I have grown older, I have found physical comfort to be more important than when I was younger. Aching bones and sore, stiff muscles from a lifetime of physical labor, have given me a new appreciation for a sedentary life.
Physical comfort can help to relieve emotional stresses to some extent. This is where comfort foods can help to soften traumatic days. For a surprisingly large number of people, their emotional pain is so great, that they turn to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs for comfort. We seek comfort because it places a barrier between ourselves and the harsh world we live in. Yet even with our many man-made comforts, we are not immune to the realities of life. We often delude ourselves with imaginings of a perfect life; but such a life does not exist. It is dwelling in the past, or dreaming of a future that has not arrived, that causes us misery. When we seek comfort in the present moment, we are seeking it in order to let go of those events that do not live in it. In turning to that which provides us solace, we can become aware of all that is right, in the moment. If we only just focus on our breath, we know that the next breath will follow. The next heartbeat will remind us that our life is sustained by millions of miraculous and automatic functions within our body. In that place of physical comfort, nothing else exists, but life itself.
