Photo Challenge: Comfort

This past Friday’s photo challenge was comfort. What a great theme! With fall creeping up on us in Boston, it’s a time of year when comfort is key. There were a lot of excellent photos I saw, but as I looked through them, I realized comfort is a personal thing. So, here are two images I really liked, but I’m going to mostly talk about what I find comfort in.

First, this absolutely adorable picture by conspiracyofravens (who’s photography has previously inspired me). I love dogs and want one of my own so very badly, and this guy all curled up is just too darn cute!

The second image is by nandinidhiman, who has a series of great pictures, but the one I really identified with was this extreme close-up of a soft, warm blanket. It looks so wonderfully warm, cozy, and inviting…I’d be quite happy to lay back on this blanket and admire the mountain view.

This one resonated with me for a very specific reason, though. When I was still in the crib, my parents got me a yellow blanket, which when I was slightly older became “blankie.” Blankie was my favorite thing ever. I slept with it, I would wrap around me to stay warm while awake and sitting on our couch, I’d tied it about my neck to be a superhero, or my waist to pretend it was a skirt. It kept me safe from monsters in the dark in my room at night, helped me sleep, the blankie could do anything, and with it, so could I. I still have it, in fact, and sure I don’t sleep with it any longer, but it still provides comfort. At the end of a rough day last week, laying down and hugging my blankie might not have fixed everything, but it did help me feel better.

Another comfort for me are hugs. Really good ones, a warm hug with a loved one is at the top of the list of things to make my day better. Your arms find just the right spot to curl around, and you fit against each other, and there’s a perfect spot to rest your head on them. You both feel loved and the whole day is softer now. Whatever else there is, there’s a good hug in it, and that can only help.

There are plenty of other comforting things–a good laugh, delicious warm food, a beer after a long week, a crisp apple straight from the tree, the list goes on. But hugs and my blankie? Those will always be up at the top of the list of what comforts me.