Comfort

A couple of YesterNook vendors have been having some health issues lately, which has gotten us to thinking about the idea of comfort, particularly the kinds of things that bring us comfort.

One of the many online dictionaries defines comfort as soothing someone in times of affliction or distress.  We all have those times when we need a little extra comfort: illness, family crisis, or even just a particularly rough patch at work.  Those are the times when we reach for those certain things or people that bring us a little comfort.

It might be a certain food or a favorite movie.  Maybe, it's a favorite stuffed toy.  It could be a special place where you can sit and do nothing and not be disturbed for a precious few minutes.  Most of us have those certain things or people that bring a little extra comfort into our lives at just the right moment.  It's good to know that there are reliable sources of peace when things get a little too chaotic.

Comfort is often tied to memory, particularly memories of times when we felt secure and comfortable.  What most of us call "comfort food" is usually a favorite dish from childhood, prepared the way our mother or grandmother would fix it.  Many of the items that we keep for the comfort they bring have the same kind of memory tie to special times with special people.

One of the most awesome feelings about YesterNook is knowing that, sometimes, we help connect people (or reconnect, as the case maybe) with comfort sources from the past.  Maybe it's a bowl like the one that belonged to a beloved grandmother or a replacement for something that was lost or broken.  Just seeing some of these items in the store can bring back memories that need to be shared.  Sitting at the register and listening to our friends and their stories is special to us in a way that's hard to describe.  We're glad that we've been able to bring comfort to so many people.

We have all heard that material items cannot guarantee happiness.  Most of us have also had to learn the hard way that this is true.  But we should never, ever underestimate to power of a few select items to bring us comfort when it is most needed.