There is a great deal to be said for being comfortable - easy on the ageing bone structure, relaxation and a general sense of well being but... There is physical comfort; the soft sofa or bed, the heating turned up to a cosy warmth, the taste of the first coffee of the morning. There is economic comfort - having enough money to do the day to day things you want with a little left over for the impulse buy.
And then there is spiritual comfort, the comfort of another's presence, the calm of pure faith that gives comfort in times alone. When asked if she was in pain at the end of her days my mother would only say that she was uncomfortable - I took her word for it and thought she suffered little - it was only when the morphine appeared that I realised her discomfort was agony and by then it was too late to offer her the moral comfort I should have given her before.
That is the trouble with English - we have so many words that have multiple meanings, and within those meanings so many nuances and degrees of meaning that we lose our sensitivity to certain words.
Comfort for me is a hug, warmth and an absence of stress. For others it may be many different things, their own home, their relationship or even simply the day to day mundanity that reassures.
We seek out comfort, long for it and treasure it when we find it - even a soft sofa can bring joy and comfort and as Christmas approaches and we hear the words of the carol "tidings of comfort and joy" we realise that our 21st century comfort has an ancestry that is old as mankind. We all seek that comfort and joy in our lives. I hope we all have some chance of finding it.
And then there is spiritual comfort, the comfort of another's presence, the calm of pure faith that gives comfort in times alone. When asked if she was in pain at the end of her days my mother would only say that she was uncomfortable - I took her word for it and thought she suffered little - it was only when the morphine appeared that I realised her discomfort was agony and by then it was too late to offer her the moral comfort I should have given her before.
That is the trouble with English - we have so many words that have multiple meanings, and within those meanings so many nuances and degrees of meaning that we lose our sensitivity to certain words.
Comfort for me is a hug, warmth and an absence of stress. For others it may be many different things, their own home, their relationship or even simply the day to day mundanity that reassures.
We seek out comfort, long for it and treasure it when we find it - even a soft sofa can bring joy and comfort and as Christmas approaches and we hear the words of the carol "tidings of comfort and joy" we realise that our 21st century comfort has an ancestry that is old as mankind. We all seek that comfort and joy in our lives. I hope we all have some chance of finding it.
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