Comfort Media

One of my girlfriends is hunkered down with her in laws, staying in her husband's childhood bedroom. She said she teased him upon finding his copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul. (He defended himself; It was a high school graduation gift!)

This got me thinking: we all need some chicken soup right now. Literally and metaphorically. Wellness pros are recommending broths, soups and other foods that are comforting and boost immunity.

And if you're like me, you're craving comfort food in the form of cookies (sorry aforementioned wellness experts) and comfort media. Give me all the chick lit books and rom com movies. Give me all the Friends episodes.

Even before Covid, after watching the news or something I considered stressful I would put on Friends before bed. There is nothing more comforting than Friends. It's even on Nick at Nite now. Nick at Nite! When I was kid I would watch Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore to curb my insomnia. And now: Friends.

Even lately it makes me giggle to no end. It's just so funny and light and.. delicious. My other yummy comfort media?

- Books, of course. I finished The Nightingale (decidedly NOT comfort reading) and then read A Good Neighborhood and now I am in-between books, resorting to reading my in-laws' treasures including fashion magazines from 2005. I haven't yet received an order of books I placed 24 days ago, but who is counting (or checking USPS tracking 4x day). I can't wait to devour In Five Years, The Jetsetters, Untamed and Writers and Lovers. 

- Movies: Anything by Nancy Meyers. When Harry Met Sally. You've Got Mail. (I put on a Nora Ephron movie and just balled when my beloved Grandpa Riisy passed away around Thanksgiving.) Really a solid romcom is the perfect movie for any occasion. When I was in labor with my firstborn I spent about two of the 26 hours watching The Switch. More here and here.

- TV Shows: In addition to Friends? The Kardashians. Oddly soothing for me. During my blissful first maternity leave (much different from my second) I would breastfeed Liv or just hold her on my chest while she slept, me on my comfy couch watching The Kardashians. It was the best. I speak of that time so fondly (and I suppose, frequently) that now Liv asks, in an effort to stall bedtime: Can you hold me like I'm a baby and watch Kardashians?
 
Here's to whatever makes you feel comforted,
AES