We all have our security blankets: books, music, exercise, movies, television shows. You know what they are. Those things, habits, hobbies, you cling to as a little piece of comfort. Sometimes they’re bad, sometimes they’re perfectly healthy (but may be a guilty pleasure), and sometimes they’re just plain awesome.  Mostly on this blog I discuss one of those blankets, my love of reading & books. Disappearing into a story is a surefire way to calm myself down and jumpstart my creative spirit.  But, there are other things I cling to that I love, that not only comfort me, they make me who I am.  I thought it was about time to blog about them, just a little bit…

It’s best to start with the reason I’m even reflecting on these security blankets: my umpteenth rewatch of Battlestar Galactica.

Of course, I mean the 2004 version, which I will always hold dear as one of my favorite shows.  I regularly get into arguments over this show. Some people I know don’t quite agree with my obsession, and that’s just fine.  For me, it holds all my favorite things: science fiction, politics, gender issues, religious/myth debates and universe construction.  Like any good sci-fi, it isn’t afraid to tackle some heavy issues. It has it faults, and it gets a little heavy handed later on, but whenever I am stressing, watching BSG in the background is a way to refocus.

Sticking with the TV theme, my other long lasting boob-tube obsession is Joss Whedon, most notably Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  This probably really dates me.  Buffy came out when I was finishing up middle school, so I was the prime target audience.  I didn’t finish the actual entire series until much later, but I’ve now rewatched the whole thing, just like BSG, over, and over, and over, and over… Whedon writes complex characters, and I love the witty dialogue (I know this is a hot button issue for non-Whedon fans). Of course, there are also strong women, interesting romance (problematic romance really), and plenty of cheese alongside the horror.

Back when Buffy first appeared on air, I also was introduced to what remains for me a rather guilty pleasure: The Spice Girls. They may come across as rather corny now, and very…VERY 90s. If there is anything in this world that SCREAMS 1990s, it is the packaged pop of groups such as Backstreet Boys (another favorite at the time), NSync, and The Spice Girls.  I don’t listen to them very often, but when I do, I feel like I’m 14, just past the worst of my awkward pre-teen years, feeling as if I can conquer anything for the first time in my life.

Okay, so it seems I”m regressing..I went from college to high school to middle school.  Why not go one further back to grade school days: Coloring.  Yes. Coloring.  I know, it’s making a resurgence lately, and I’ll throw in my Hipster card of: well my friends and I were on this train before it was cool again. But who really cares?!  I credit Annie with this resurgence in our circle (circle of two right now).  I’ll also group this with drawing, doodling, and art in general as a soothing and creative past-time.

Okay, one last item, and this time I’ll jump back up to adulthood: Cooking & Baking.  I’m not great chef, but I take pride in conquering the kitchen. Most days, I come home from work and cooking dinner is there to be done. For me, that’s not so bad. Sure, I don’t enjoy it all the time, but putting on a movie, an audiobook, or a podcast, or music, and bouncing around my kitchen while I cook is just plain soothing.

No one bothers me (in fact, just don’t interrupt my cooking…just don’t). I go into a zone, and my cuttingboard, oven, pots, and pantry become my canvas. I usually only cook for two, but I LOVE to share these creations. Yes, partly, I like the praise. Really though, I just want to share the results. Food is soothing. It brings most people comfort and brings up memories or new experiences. My husband and I like to try creating new things, and together the kitchen is an experimental workshop for our ideas (or the ideas of others we then play upon).

Baking is the longer version of this zen moment. Usually, bread, but complex pies, cinnamon rolls, pretzels, you name it…baking is as zen a moment for me as cooking. Plus, then I get to shove sugar and carbs at people (which maybe I shouldn’t enjoy so much).

And that’s my random collection of “security blankets.” There are others, some I shouldn’t rely on so much (I do so love a good cocktail or homebrew), and others that I could do to practice more often (hiking, writing, etc.).  I’d love to hear what some of you may enjoy. What do you watch, listen to, read, or do when you need a security blanket, a moment of relaxation?