Comfort Zone

Welcome to this week’s episoe of ”What Has Bethany Decided to Ramble About This Time.” Thanks so much for joining me again. It’s definitely an adventure each week, and I’m on the ride too. I honestly am just as surprised by some of my ideas as you are, so there’s that.

Let’s talk about comfort. And I don’t mean those lounge pants that you stay in all weekend. I’m not judging, I’m just saying.

I mean comfort shows, movies, books, or songs. The ones you put on for background noise because you’ve seen them a million times and the voices bring you a sense of calm. Or the books you read over and over because it feels like spending time with friends who understand you. Or the songs you can put on repeat for hours either belting out or just letting your brain melt for a little while.

I think we all have something like that, even if it’s not a conscious decision. There’s just something that brings us that comfort when we’re facing a hard time or feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

You might not have one of each thing I mentioned above, you may have one of them. Or you may find comfort in something else, and that is more than okay. We all need those things that help ground us and bring us peace. I know I appreciate having these things to bring me back down from feeling anxious.

I don’t know how exactly this is going to go, but I’m going to tell you a little bit about some of my comfort things. Just a little insight into me.

My comfort show is The Great British Baking Show.

I love cooking competition shows in general. I don’t know when it started, and I don’t really know why I love them so much. But if there’s a cooking competition show to watch, I’m going to watch it.

The Great British Baking Show showed up on my Netflix suggestions a while back, and I fell in love with it. I have watched the seasons that were available on Netflix multiple times each.

There’s just something about the accents of the bakers and judges that actually help bring me a sense of calm. And watching them bake is so entertaining to me.

If I’m having an off time, or feeling anxious, I can put on the show just to watch or listen to. And because I’ve already seen all of them, there’s nothing surprising, and I don’t have to be worried about something bad happening because I already know what happens. It’s nice to have that sometimes because my mind is a crazy place, and it doesn’t always need more to take in.

I’m more into the earlier seasons with the original hosts and judges, but I will watch any season of the show. Paul Hollywood is there throughout the whole thing, so at least there’s a semblance of consistency.

There was a season of the show that I considered my comfort season of my comfort show. It was my favorite season with some of my favorite bakers. And it had my favorite winner, Nadia. And Flora, one of my favorite bakerss had one of my favorite greetings that I do myself even though no one understands. The way she would say “Morning” in a somewhat bored yet foreboding tone, was just my favorite. And I do it all the time. I don’t have the accent, but I have the tone. Also, Paul, one of the bakers made a lion out of bread that season, and it was amazing! I know I watched that season more than any other.

Unfortunately, because the first “collections” of the show were not “Netflix Originals,” they were removed from Netflix at the beginning of 2022. And I’m pretty heartbroken about that because my comfort season is in that batch of shows that were cut. I’m sure there’s a way for me to still be able to watch it, but I haven’t found it yet. Sad.

My comfort movie is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

You guys, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m not necessarily a movie person. I love watching some scary movies (mostly the Conjuring franchise), and I do enjoy a Disney movie here and there. But I don’t watch a lot of movies.

And a lot of you who know me well would think that my comfort movie would coincide with my favorite Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. And believe me, I love Beauty and the Beast; and I’m sure I could watch it over and over again because it’s AMAZING! But Willy Wonka has won out for the comfort movie.

And y’all, I love Johnny Depp, but Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka is where it’s at! His voice is soothing, his weirdness is a little more subdued than the updated version of the character, and he was the first one I knew, so I just prefer his version.

I have put Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on while I write or play on my phone or just need something in the background because I know the movie and don’t necessarily need to watch it as it plays.

I have even attempted (not yet successfully) to write a story based off of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where he had a daughter and things happened a little differently than the movie. But who knows if that will ever happen.

They took Willy Wonka off of the stream services I have (they just don’t want me to have my comfort things), but I do own the DVD, so at least I still have an easy way to watch it.

My comfort book is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

As far as comfort books go, I haven’t read my comfort book as often as I’ve watched the Great British Baking Show or Willy Wonka. But it’s the book that pops into my head when I am looking for a name for something or when I’m struggling with writer’s block. I just think about that book and sometimes it just helps to think about it and not about what I’m working on.

I also just think about it randomly, and for some reason, it really does help me relax. I like to think about different aspects of it; the creativity and the ”magic” in the book really makes it stand out and helps me get my mind on something other than what‘s going on in my life.

There are characters in the book named Poppet and Widget, so if you ever see those names pop up in something I (hopefully) one day publish, that’s where those came from.

It’s not the easiest book to follow, so if you’re not into books that jump from POV to POV, it’s not for you. But it helps keep me thinking and it makes it to where I don’t get bored because I have to keep up with what’s going on where.

I really need to read that book again.

My comfort song is Mirrors by Justin Timberlake.

This took me a while to figure out. I have so many songs that I love to listen to. But what happens is I get stuck on a song or album for a while and just listen to it on repeat for weeks on end. But I wouldn’t really consider that comfort song. That’s just current obsession.

But as I sat and thought about what I would consider a comfort song, I had to think about the thoughts I have when I hear certain songs, or if there are songs that bring me instant comfort when they start.

Thus, Mirrors.

Back when that song came out, I was in my first and only semester at Appalachian State University. I was pretty much miserable for reasons we won’t discuss because it would take too long. But I was ALWAYS happy to drive home for the weekend. I couldn’t wait to get home and spend time with my family because I did not want to be in Boone anymore.

Every time I was driving home and I got to the last exit onto 74, which was the final few minutes before my driveway, Mirrors came on. Every time. I kid you not. This was a time before I could put my music on shuffle from my phone, connect it to my car’s Bluetooth, and make the song play myself. I would be listening to the radio. And the song would play.

So, when I hear the song now, it’s kind of like a “homecoming” song for me. I instantly feel calm and happy. Thanks, JT.

Having these comfort things is really important to me. And I’m sure a lot of you will agree. Even if you didn’t realize you have these elements, maybe you have thought about it now that I’ve talked about mine.

These things can help you relax after a long day. Or they can help you get back on track if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It’s not necessarily going to work every time, but it can definitely help. And self care is absolutely important.

Shout out to Paul Hollywood, Gene Wilder, Erin Morgenstern, and Justin Timberlake!

See you next time!