Weird things that comfort you

[flamingo]

The smell of fresh cut grass or freshly laid mulch. My dad had a second job as a landscaper when I was growing up, so those smells remind me of working with him on weekends. But also, they remind me of spring and summer and since I'm currently still in the midst of winter where I live, I cannot wait to smell those things!

[taz157]

Mar 4, 2021 8:29:26 GMT -5 giramomma said:

My stash comforts me. I mean. Seriously, who looks through cross stitch patterns and goes "well, hello old friend."

ME! ME! ME! I do! I do! I really need to get back in it once I’m doing my side job in a few weeks!

[Tiny]

The voices of the DJs on the radio station I have been listening to for almost 40 years. one of the DJs did the morning show. She inspired me as a teen/college age - a woman spinning records doing the Morning Show (talking about the artists, the album art, trivia about the bands/albums/songs, the latest local concerts)  for a radio station that wasn't "love songs" or "contemporary". All the other stations had Men (acting like 13 year old boys) talking about inane things or bodily functions.

She retired a couple years ago - but still fills in on different shifts. there are a couple of other DJs who have been there 20 plus years. I enjoy their listening to their shift. A familiar voice. It brings comfort.

My "music" collection also brings comfort.

I find comfort starting a walk just before the sun sets. Twilight - the way the sky changes and the colors bring me comfort. If I was a morning person- the time right before sunrise (false dawn) has the same effect.
(I think this is why I enjoy Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) animated movies so very much... he captures the sky, the light, the wind, so very well. His son, Goro, has created some of the most beautiful, serene twilight and night skies I have ever seen in an animated story or a live action movie. )

I find sleeping cats comforting as well... when they are actually asleep - not that "sort of asleep but not really" thing they do - when they are totally and completely asleep All Is Right With the World - basically it's Safe to sleep.

[Bonny]

Folding laundry. Something about handling warm things in the winter and creating "order" out of chaos. 

Writing "Thank you" notes. It reminds me of how little acts of kindness help off-set daily stupidity.

I'm another shredder. It literally feels like weight is being lifted off of me. Of course the clean up after a major shredding event is epic! 

[thyme4change]

Mar 4, 2021 9:06:08 GMT -5 flamingo said:

The smell of fresh cut grass or freshly laid mulch. My dad had a second job as a landscaper when I was growing up, so those smells remind me of working with him on weekends. But also, they remind me of spring and summer and since I'm currently still in the midst of winter where I live, I cannot wait to smell those things!

This sounds like lumber for me. My Dad is a DIY guy and spent every weekend doing some project. If our house didn't smell like cut lumber, we would at least have to drop by the hardware store to pick up something - and that place often smelled like lumber.

I never really thought of it that way, but I do often feel comforted by the smell. Last weekend we went to Home Depot and walked the lumber aisles multiple times even though I was pretty sure I didn't need wood.

[Blonde Granny]

The Star Spangled Banner.....remembering  that I was able to sing that song with others in the choir at AAA baseball game. Even now, that song makes me cry.

[oped]

Driving. And now that I think about it, maybe one of the reasons my brain is so cluttered these days is that I haven't been driving much at all? 

[tractor]

Cigar smoke. My grandfather used to smoke Dutch Masters cigars, I think of him when I smell it. Also apple pipe tobacco, I haven’t smelled that for a very long time....

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 4, 2021 13:03:05 GMT -5 tractor said:

Cigar smoke. My grandfather used to smoke Dutch Masters cigars, I think of him when I smell it. Also apple pipe tobacco, I haven’t smelled that for a very long time....

My great grandfather smoked pipes too. He had a collection of a dozen or so on the table beside his chair. When we would visit, he would pile all four of us on his lap and we were allowed to pick a pipe. He would pack it full, puff on it and tell us a story! No two stories were the same.  Every time I get a whiff of tobacco, I find myself looking around to see who is smoking it.

[Blonde Granny]

My Dad smoked pipes too.....funny & strange you forget those things.

[TheOtherMe]

Music keeps me somewhat sane

[Deleted]

The sound of crickets (I think it’s crickets, maybe some other insect? lol) at dusk in late summer. That’s the only time of the year I hear it. I love it, and it always takes me back to being a kid playing outside in the summer. 

[daisylu]

Rain on a metal roof puts me at an odd sense of peace. Our roof is not metal, but I have been begging DH to add window awnings over our bedroom windows. The building for his toys/workshop does have a metal roof, and you will find me there when it is raining (if it is warm!).

[stillmovingforward]

Mar 5, 2021 15:01:48 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Rain on a metal roof puts me at an odd sense of peace. Our roof is not metal, but I have been begging DH to add window awnings over our bedroom windows. The building for his toys/workshop does have a metal roof, and you will find me there when it is raining (if it is warm!).

I LOVE the sound of rain on a roof! Our bedroom is right under the eaves, which is wonderful. Even better is being out in our rv during a storm. You can count on me being at the water's edge in the rv during storms.

[TheOtherMe]

That sound is comforting.  I enjoyed hearing the rain at the church where I worked after they put the metal roof on.  

[skubikky]

Mar 3, 2021 12:34:27 GMT -5 swamp said:

Listening to a hockey game on the radio or watching one on TV

I think it’s because when I was little we didn’t have cable and most of our TV stations were out of Canada. On Saturday nights I would sit on my dads lap and we would watch Hockey Night In Canada. Go Habs!!!

Also catholic mass. I’m agnostic but raised catholic. I generally don’t go to church but when I do I find the ritual very comforting

I think I’m weird.

Absolutely love the sound of a hockey game being telecast....the clacking of  sticks on the ice....love it and find it very comforting.
(we are a hockey family).

Now, just to be clear, you are weird, but not for the reasons above.....only kidding.   I'm a big fan your honor.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The smell of the jungle at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.  Not quite the same as the real deal but close enough to make me think about my college trip to Boreno.

It also makes me think about being a kid.  I was in 4th grade when it opened.

[skubikky]

The smell of Pond's cold cream.

The sound of wood popping in the wood burning stove.
The smell of woodsmoke from our stove when I step out of my house in the winter.

When my horse walks down the barn aisle....the sound his feet make when they strike the floor.
His light snort when he's relaxed.

The smell of shavings for the stalls.

The cedar smell in the jelly cupboard.

The view of Manhattan at night as you're coming across the 59th Street bridge.

[mamasita99]

The smell of chlorine. Brings back summers as a kid and working as a lifeguard when I was older.

My heart literally sighs when I come out of the tunnel and view the expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s still home to me.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The smell of marigolds.  My grandfather planted them all along the fence to keep the rabbits out of his main boxes.   I am going to plant some this year in one of the boxes my brother got me for my birthday.   He bought four huge ones off Amazon because I started hinting I wanted him and DH to build me some like the ones at our grandparents' old house.


Oh mamasita made me think of another one.  The smell of sunscreen.   The cheap white kind that gets everywhere.   That makes me think of days by the pool as a kid.

[empress of self-improvement]

Looking at bean29's post in the declutter thread and remembering learning how to drive in my dad's crappy-ass Chrysler Horizon. Comforting and yet vaguely depressing at the same time.

[NoNamePerson]

Mar 4, 2021 12:17:11 GMT -5 oped said:

Driving. And now that I think about it, maybe one of the reasons my brain is so cluttered these days is that I haven't been driving much at all? 

Same here. No matter what kind of mood I'm in getting behind the wheel refocuses me to some degree. Plus I can crank up the CD and music is also a major "comfort" thing for me. Since all the stay home started I will get in my car every other day and hit the road and just drive for a while with no place to go. I can get outside city limits to rural areas and drive till hearts content. Should add that my car gets around 30 MPH city driving LOL so not driving a gas guzzler but probably would any way. Cheaper than a shrink. And I have discovered some places/things that I was not familiar with (big county here land wise) so it's been a win win thing for me.  

[oped]

So yesterday was on edge again. I’m hating that it got so cold again even though it’s sunny. Too cold wind for me to walk. So I thought of this thread, called daughter, packed up some things she’s been wanting and met her half way to school. Dropped of talked a few minutes and headed back. 3.5 hours drive went by like nothing and so good for me. Thanks for this thread.

[Malarky]

The smell of laundry dried on the clothesline.  I am literally the only person I know who has a clothesline in real life.  I love hanging things out, folding them in the yard and bringing that lovely smell of sunshine and outdoors into the house.  I'm anxiously awaiting the end of winter so I can get back to it.

[happyhoix]

Mar 4, 2021 18:55:20 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

The sound of crickets (I think it’s crickets, maybe some other insect? lol) at dusk in late summer. That’s the only time of the year I hear it. I love it, and it always takes me back to being a kid playing outside in the summer. 

I like crickets and also the spring peepers we get at the little pond near our house.

On the opposite side, I HATE the droning of cicadas, and this is supposed to be their year.

[Lizard Queen]

Mar 6, 2021 9:28:29 GMT -5 Malarky said:

The smell of laundry dried on the clothesline.  I am literally the only person I know who has a clothesline in real life.  I love hanging things out, folding them in the yard and bringing that lovely smell of sunshine and outdoors into the house.  I'm anxiously awaiting the end of winter so I can get back to it.

I saw on TV how people in Siberia hang their laundry out on lines in the dead of winter. So there's always that option. 😅

[jerseygirl]

Mar 6, 2021 9:28:29 GMT -5 Malarky said:

The smell of laundry dried on the clothesline.  I am literally the only person I know who has a clothesline in real life.  I love hanging things out, folding them in the yard and bringing that lovely smell of sunshine and outdoors into the house.  I'm anxiously awaiting the end of winter so I can get back to it.

We have a clothesline outside too. It’s supported by our deck
Also inside clothesline in laundry room for winter
Love the fresh air scent

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 6, 2021 9:56:27 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Mar 4, 2021 18:55:20 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

The sound of crickets (I think it’s crickets, maybe some other insect? lol) at dusk in late summer. That’s the only time of the year I hear it. I love it, and it always takes me back to being a kid playing outside in the summer. 

I like crickets and also the spring peepers we get at the little pond near our house.

On the opposite side, I HATE the droning of cicadas, and this is supposed to be their year.

DITTO! Makes me feel violent!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Normal weird: going to the ocean. 


Anxiety-disorder weird: right hand clamping down on my left fingers. 

[TheOtherMe]

Mar 6, 2021 10:24:39 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Mar 6, 2021 9:28:29 GMT -5 Malarky said:

The smell of laundry dried on the clothesline.  I am literally the only person I know who has a clothesline in real life.  I love hanging things out, folding them in the yard and bringing that lovely smell of sunshine and outdoors into the house.  I'm anxiously awaiting the end of winter so I can get back to it.

I saw on TV how people in Siberia hang their laundry out on lines in the dead of winter. So there's always that option. 😅

I dried my clothes on my porch when I lived in the Colorado mountains without a washer or dryer.  Washed the clothes in the sink.  Took sheets to laundry mat or friend's houses to wash.

This was about 20 years ago.