December, 2006

Ray of the Month: Comfort

A few weeks ago, I was dropping my children off at my mother's, where they were going to be staying while I attended an in-home movie viewing with some folks in the local NVC organization. As we arrived, I learned that my sister's cat, whom we had taken to the vet that morning, had been transferred to the emergency room.
I decided to go ahead with attending the movie, and to connect with my sister when I came to pick up my children.

As I was driving to my home of the movie host, I was overcome with a sudden urge for a donut. How convenient--I knew that there was a donut shop right on the way. I looked at my watch and saw that my impromptu donut date would make me a few minutes late. I decided to connect with my needs surrounding the donut obsession, as I had a few minutes before I would have to turn into the donut driveway.

"After all the stress we've been through today, I deserve something nice!" I heard myself saying.
Hmmm....I reflected, if I have been stressed and would like something nice, perhaps I need some comfort?

Comfort. I let the world roll around inside me for a bit, and it rang true. Comfort is what I was attempting to find in my donut delight.
But as I was going to be late, and already feeling a bit insecure about finding the house that I'd never visited before, I decided to play a little game. If I gave up the donut opportunity, and asked the Universe to provide comfort for me in another way, would my need be met?

Arriving at the home of our movie host, I greeted a few folks, then was offered a hug by a very tall man (he is probably a foot taller than me) with a warm, fuzzy sweater on. I really sank into that hug, and knew that no donut could have compared.
The comfort that I received in that hug was like a shower of love and peace. Its comforting effects helped me through the rest of the night, which involved accompanying my sister to the cat hospital to have our feline friend euthenized.

I love spontaneity. An impromptu donut date is right up my alley. At the same time, I invite myself to pause for just a moment, to connect with what need I am trying to meet by my spontaneous idea. And if other needs of mine go unmet with my plan, can I open myself to trusting that my needs will be met in a way that I haven't yet discovered?