As we age, our need for comforting doesn’t disappear. If anything, it increases with the demands and stressors of modern living. The difficulty is finding satisfaction in those kinds of sweet comforts we had as children and not turning to more insidious ways of feeling safe and calm and less isolated. Overeating, drinking too much, shopping, hours on the internet – those are some of the most acceptable “grown up” ways to self-soothe.

Believe me, I know. I’ve tried them all at one time or another in the past 50 years.