Something else I wrote...

Comfort from things other than food
You've had a hard day, you're stressed, tired and pushed beyond your daily limit of crud. You want nothing more than to go home and feel loved and cared for. The first thing you do is grab your comfort food and dig in. Eating this food makes you feel like you're back in your parents' home (or wherever) and you get a feeling that all is right in the world.

But what can you do instead? What else comes to mind when you think of days gone by and relaxing and being comforted?

For me I have two things, the first is my sun beam. Growing up I would have a sun beam that would hit my bed in the afternoon. Often I would crawl up onto my bed, with its white heirloom bedspread wearing a dark outfit. I would curl up in my sunbeam and take a nap. About the time the sunbeam would leave is about the time I would wake up refreshed and ready for the rest of the day. To this day, I love curling up on the couch with my feet in the sunbeam that drifts across my living room. That takes me back and makes me feel good again.

The second thing that I go back and think about often is this lovely chair I would sit in to read while away at school. It reclined just enough to be comfortable, but not too much that your arms would get tired holding up a book. I spent many nights in that chair reading until the morning hours before going to the airport to return home. Someday I plan on finding another chair that I can easily curl up in and immerse myself into a good book.

What takes you back? What can you do instead of reaching for your comfort foods?

And I have to say, my most often chosen comfort food, mac & cheese, hasn't been a part of my life for the past month & a half. I'm proud of myself for not reaching for this even once yet. In a way I don't even miss it.