Comforts

Today I had an interesting discussion with my oldest son's wife about comfort blankets we carry as adults. Her dad has spent the last two and a half years in the Philippines and she laughed at some of the things he brought with him. Today's conversation started with the 31 pairs of pants he brought and then she talked about a patch of turf he brought from one of his favorite football stadiums. I mentioned that he probably brought it because it is a source of comfort. Her own two kids carry blankets whenever they come to stay at our house for the same reason. She agreed.

We then talked about comforts others carry. Mine is my laptop. I feel a lot of insecurity when I travel without one. As I don't have one at the moment due to being between jobs, I have been carrying a Chromebook I got for free that is quickly reaching its end of life. Sure I could use my phone to do the same things but I really like having a full-sized keyboard. When I visited my youngest son in Ohio last month, I didn't need to bring a computer but I still carried that Chromebook with me.

My daughter-in-law remarked that her smartphone is her comfort. She says that she justifies it as a means for others to communicate with her but it also helps with any anxiety she may have. My son agrees and believes his phone serves the same purpose as his son's and daughter's blankets.

So think about it. What is your source of comfort? What is something you will take with you when you travel to sooth anxiety or provide some level of comfort? I'm sure we all have something even if it is a favorite pair of shoes.