When you are in pain, the little things matter...

One of the things that really jumped out at me this week was how much the little things matter when you are in pain. For example, the zen music and stream of landscape pictures at the hospital had a very positive affect on my blood pressure.  Warm blankets and soft socks made me feel "tucked in."

At home, sweet things like the orange sorbet John made for me in the Vitamix, ice chips from Sonic and cuddles from my dog, all had a huge impact. Even the sweet smell of "Peace and Calming"oil that I had dropped on my blanked made a big difference because every time I tossed and turned I could smell it.

It occurs to me that maybe those things always have power, but when we hurt we simply notice them more.  Maybe that's why we are in the practice of bringing people flowers or balloons when they are ill.  When we are too tired to read a book or even stream Netflix, our bodies still register color.  In fact, it may be that everything gets dialed back to the most basic of senses: sound, taste, touch, scent and what we see.  Maybe real comfort isn't complicated at all.