[Alffe]

The day my friend Martha died, I got on my daughters' swing and swung for two hours.

That day I realized that rocking or swinging, is a movement that speaks comfortingly to a hidden part of me. It's a memory that comes from infancy when I was comforted with rocking in my mothers' arms. Along with the memory of rocking comes the recollection of my mother stroking the lashes of my closed eyelids.

Most of us have a few sensations that remind us of better, simpler, more childlike times. Perhaps it is the smell of popcorn on the stove or the crackle of a fire. Perhaps it is a piece of music or an old TV show. Perhaps being wrapped closely in fluffy blankets makes us feel secure. Maybe we respond to the smell of baking bread or a roasting turkey. Maybe it's the taste of peppermint and the twinkle of Christmas lights in the dark that remind us of a time when play was our way of life.

If we can find again those fleeting moments of security and pleasure, perhaps we can find a way to soothe ourselves when life has overtaken us and playfulness seems a thousand miles away. JG

Do something today that you haven't done in a long time - something that reminds you of special times and warm feelings. Take time to savor the feelings it stirs up.

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From the book "A Reason To Live" by Melody Beattie