The Comfort Paradox

A fluffy dog looking for comfort

The Comfort Paradox

I have some work to do on my laptop and it’s late in the day.  So, I begin to walk to the front of my house.  The living room is there.  It’s filled with big windows.  The view from there is serene.  Some times it helps to be in a calm environment when the work needing to be done is stressful.  That’s why I headed to such a place.  I just didn’t know I had been followed until I felt a couple of paws on my pant leg just before I sat down. 

I looked down just as I was taking a seat.  Little brown eyes, filled with need, swallowed up my heart.  It was our normally-bravado-packed Welsh Corgi, Merlin.  But, on this day his eyes told me he was in need of comfort.

He was offering me an invitation I couldn’t refuse.

“Come on up.”  I softly said while reaching down to give him a little lift. 

Merlin’s personality and outlook is bold, but kindly.  He’s an active, strong and athletic little dog who is rarely shy.  So, when he climbed right up on my chest it was obvious that he was in need of reassurance and safety.  We sat there together.

I petted.  He sidled up to me.  The day had jostled him with a change of pace.  We had houseguests and his normal routine had been interrupted.  I’d seen this character altering behavior before in Merlin under similar circumstances.  I understood what he needed.  Too bad you and I don’t always have a friend to recognize such patterns in our own lives.  But, we can learn big lessons from this little dog.

First, even though Merlin gets afraid from time to time, he doesn’t let it change his way of going about his life for very long.  On this day, I sat with him for about twenty minutes before he perked up and bounded off the side of my couch so he could chase a bird.  You and I can still enjoy the best part of our personality even though we have times when we feel out of sorts.

Second, Merlin knows where his place of safety is when he needs it.  I’ve laughed at him many times as I’ve watched him run into the house so he can aggressively bark and growl at an intruder from the safe side of a glass barrier.

Third, Merlin has taken the time to build relationships of trust. When he feels unsure of others, or of situations, he never hesitates to come to the people he trusts for comfort and protection.  He invests in people so they’ll be there for him when he needs them.

Finally, as I provided comfort to Merlin I could feel the stress from my own fears begin to be pushed aside with every stroke across his fur. Providing comfort to others is a process that paradoxically gives consolation to the comforter as well.