the comfort of clothing

I put on a dress the other day while working from home, and changed out of it after an hour. It is a comfortable dress - loose, lightweight cotton - but somehow not quite as comfortable enough.

A few days later, I put on another dress. This time, I felt great. And it occurred to me what annoyed me the first time - the sound of the cotton dress rustling and crunching when I moved. I barely noticed it when I wore the dress out, but at home, it felt loud and discordant with my “home” mood. The second dress was made of a softer, less crisp material, soundless despite the scrunching and squishing.

At least, perhaps I understand the appeal of “loungewear”. Beyond comfort, it is also about softness. I suddenly became aware of the stuff I wasn't wearing anymore - undies that are too tight (wedgies) or too worn and loose, sleep shorts that pulled the wrong way when slept, t-shirts that have become pilled and itchy. I weeded them out (mostly for recycling, though I cut up a few to be reused as cleaning rags). I got myself a new set of sleep clothes (I almost never buy this) made of utterly soft and airy jersey that felt like silky meringue for the skin. 

Comfort. What a luxury that is. When I am comfortable, I feel safe and confident. I feel generous. I feel adventurous. To comfort is to offer support, strength and consolation. 

We often talk about comfort like it is a bad thing ("I'm getting too comfortable in this job"). We talk about the importance of challenging ourselves. And it is true that to be comfortable is to sometimes be blind to the suffering and injustices of others. I do not wish to be comfortable all the time. 

But I do relish my pockets of comfort. That feeling of getting all things in order, of things flowing smoothly, of true relaxation and contentment. Clothing alone cannot give me that but every so often they remind me to seek it out, to stop and to savour. 

In the photo above, I am clearly not wearing the dress I described. But I am wearing a very comfortable WFH uniform. A well-washed cotton gauze top that never feels clammy on my skin despite the humidity of the day. Denim shorts so worn that I had to replace the elastic band on the waist, but I love it's roominess, allowing me to sit cross-legged with ease. 

Other objects of comfort I am loving:

• My swimmers from Seea - very comfortable and stands up to proper swimming while looking cute
• My Birkenstock sandals - never mind that the heel has been chewed in by my sister's dog, they're still great
• Various scented candles - reading with a candle going in the room makes me feel so calm and happy
• Mangoes. They're in season now and intoxicatingly fragrant and delicious