Comforting a Symptom

When I’m cold,
a heated blanket feels like an answer.
It might even be an answer.
The warmth is real.
The relief is real.
For a moment.
In the moment,
it can feel like fulfillment.
That’s what makes it a classy problem.
Comfort helps.
It softens my edge.
Quiets my symptom.
Changes my experience.
If I stay there long enough,
something changes.
I adjust.
What first felt like an answer becomes normal.
Once it becomes normal,
it stops feeling like fulfillment.
That’s the problem.
What felt like fulfillment was relief.
Real relief.
I’m grateful for it.
Grateful that something stopped the hurt.
Grateful that something helped.
Grateful that the discomfort eased.
Relief and fulfillment are not the same thing.
That’s where I get confused.
I mistake comfort for completion.
Achievement can do that.
Security can do that.
Success can do that.
Warmth can do that when I am cold.
They ease my experience.
They do not resolve the deeper condition.
Comfort quiets my symptom.
It doesn’t cure my condition.