The Great Escape: Finding Comfort

I’ve been dragging myself through a depressive episode recently, and was feeling in need of a day filled with comfort foods, activities, and places. I planned to make the two hour drive to Asheville, NC last Friday. I wanted to listen to my favorite podcasts and sing a random playlist at the top of my lungs on the way to indulge in some of my favorite comforts.

This was what I had planned for the day:

• Drive to Asheville

• Publix sub for lunch

• Buy a glass pumpkin from Lexington Glassworks if they have any left

• Get a coffee and treat from a local Asheville cafe/shop

• Get a hot stone massage

• Go to Whole Foods

• Go to Trader Joe’s

• Drive back to VA

So when I caught some nasty little non-covid virus from Christopher last Thursday and had to cancel my day of comfort my spiral kicked up a notch. 

One of the hardest things about being in the woods has been not having my comfort places. I miss the following places so much I have literally cried about it: pools, the beach, Foxtail Coffee, Donut King, Bagel King, Trader Joe’s, Beefy King, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, East End Market, Mexican food - any of the places, Boardwalk Pizza, Lazy Moon Pizza, Lukas Nursery, Huey Magoo’s, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Costco, Colorado Fondue, Twistee Treat, Black Bean Deli, Light on the Sugar, Buttermilk Bakery, Park Ave., Disney World, and last but not least, my own bed and couch in my own damn house

I miss having a routine. I miss “my” places. I miss my stuff that's in PODS since July somewhere in Johnson City. I know eventually I’ll have new comfort places, but I’m impatient and I want them now. 

So if you have any tips for finding new comfort places in a new town, especially a small one that doesn’t have any of your existing comforts, please leave them in the comments.

Graphic background photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash