Comfort Part 2

I read and watch "old" movies. If I liked the book or film the first time, I invariably delight in it the next. Revisiting the story line and characters seems like a reunion with old friends. It is similar to eating my wife's cooking. The meal is usually amazing the first time and often better as planned-overs (our name for left-overs) once the flavors have time to blend overnight. Recently she made blackened chicken and rice. I indulged four times over the next few days. Yum!

Whether I'm stressed or simply tired, I enjoy lounging in my oversized recliner listening to my favorite book on audio. The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain is an historical fiction novel. Oxford student Walter of  Gurnie flees the Norman oppression of England and joins Kublai Khan's conquest of China. He returns home a wealthy hero. It is an enthralling mix of adventure, travel, science, and romance. Our first meeting was decades ago in junior high school. Now I have a personal reunion with Costain's best about every other year. I feel the same about the more than two dozen Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the numerous Sunnybank collie stories of Albert Payson Terhune.

Similarly I get special comfort from watching old films for the umpteenth time. The Fifties science fiction classic Them is at the top of my favorite's list. Despite its black and white format, I marvel as giant ants challenge Matt Dillon and Santa Claus in the sewers beneath Los Angeles. Additionally John Wayne westerns (Hondo or Big Jake) and James Stewart big screen treasures (It's a Wonderful Life or Broken Arrow) can relax me after a busy day. I can slip comfortably into nap time in my recliner during any showing. When I awake, I know exactly where the movie is. There is no need to rewind. No, it's not a total waste of time. It is simply comfort.