Chatting with my sister yesterday we laughed about how, like Mom, we wear the same things over and over: A raggedy tee shirt, a fraying nightie, favorite shorts with a rip in the pocket.
There’s comfort in old clothes and in old things ~ they’re worn and soft and easy on the skin. We know what to expect and they deliver. It’s not that we can’t buy new clothes, we can. It’s not that we can’t wear new clothes, we do. But, time and again, we reach for what’s comfortable, what’s familiar, what endures.
- Old recipes on batter-stained pages.
- Coffee cups that fit our hands.
- The love of an old pet who leans in for more.
- How good the house smells as something simmers in the kitchen.
We talked further about “the good stuff,” about how, as you get older, material “stuff” matters less and less. What we want are connections, meaningful conversations, comfortable temperatures, good stories, tasty foods, deep sleep, great coffee, and loyal friends. We want our kids and grands and pets to be OK and everyone we know to feel safe and loved and remembered. And in the chaos this year has brought we reach for the good stuff.
- Can you relate to our conversation?
- What does your “good stuff” involve?
I love this post. Makes me feel happily cozy at home with all the good stuff and memories around me. Thankyou Emjay.
well thank you for reading & commenting! I love feeling happily cozy at home; glad that my post invoked that in you. ~ MJ
Old routines and feel good stuff help me through times like this.
indeed!
-MJ
Awww, love this post.
aww .. thank you!
MJ
A resounding – yes! My recent good stuff has been being gifted some zucchini from a neighbor and having enough energy yesterday to make two batches of cornbread: one with zucchini and one without. And finding a few recipes for zucchini bread I hope to make this week. And appreciating it when my son is bound and determined to earn enough money to replace his very worn out headphones, so I put him to work doing a pack of things that need to be done that I don’t currently have the energy to do. I so love your dog photo. Makes me want to grab that muzzle and give a kiss.
thank you!
ooh zucchini bread .. yum. If you still have some look for a chocolate zucchini cake, you’ll never taste the Z and it’s so moist & decadent + freezes well!
Good on you for putting the kid to work; earned money means more, in my opinion!
And that’s Chiefers, my buddy from up the road. I see and pet him often; he leans in for more. Such a good boy!!
-MJ