I really wanted to do it but didn’t realize how much comfort I’d find in the activity.

For many people, finding comfort in something is a lifelong search. However, for others, it arrives every day. So what’s the difference — why is finding comfort more challenging for some than for others? Well, maybe it’s a matter of perspective.

The deep thinking philosopher type person will seek long term because they believe there has to be more goodness/comfort than they are currently experiencing. Their thinking is that there has to be something better than this. That’s a deep hole to climb out of and, it seems to me, they miss the comfort of now.

Over the years, I’ve read many books and articles by wine experts and the ones I most enjoy and can identify with are those who say basically: Carpe diem — seize the day!

That means to live in the moment and find comfort there and that’s where I am. Of course, we plan long term but we must never lose sight of what’s right in front of us. If that bottle of Bogle Merlot is sitting there, for cripes sake, drink it! Enjoy the wine’s soft cherry and dryness now and then, seek another new adventure.

Comfort comes to us in many shapes and sizes — they are our family, our friends, nature, a favorite food, solitude and maybe reading that favorite book. A couple of days ago I found comfort in a baseball.

Let me say right off the bat that I’ve never played a real baseball game in my life. Yes, many, many softball games but never baseball. Growing up I loved to throw a tennis ball against the garage door and pretend I was pitching to whomever. Dad loved what I did to the garage door — that’s another story! So, when our first son arrived, I played catch with him as soon as I could teach him to catch and throw. Subsequently, with the arrival of the other two sons, there were many times of playing catch and batting. Our daughter says she can throw a very hard pitch — that remains to be seen but I do not want to be the catcher when she throws! My glove doesn’t offer that much protection!

Since our kids were small, I played catch with them every year — except last year. So, when we gathered with two of our sons recently, playing catch was on the schedule.

We walked to a nearby park and tossed a baseball back and forth for a long time — it was so comforting. To feel their throws through my glove, to hear the ball smack the glove and watch it sing through the air was like a breath of fresh air. I threw my best pitches and they remarked how hard my 90 mile per hour fast ball was — if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you!

I also found comfort in a classic car show recently.

I’ve never been a mechanical type person so cars are, to me, a necessary evil. They cost you money from day one, depreciate and continue to cost one money. Just get me safely and comfortably from point A to point B and I’m fine, thank you. So, in that frame of mind, I went to the classic car show and was surprised by what happened.

As I walked by the classics, I began to get choked up and had to stop and think about what was happening. No, it wasn’t that I was yearning for a glass of Big House Wine Company Pinot Grigio — although that is a very good wine. Such nice soft melon tastes, crisp dryness and so nice but, nope, that’s not why I was getting mushy.

It came to me as I watched other people walk by the classic cars. A family would walk by car after car and suddenly stop and look and talk about one car. There it was! They had memories of that car — somewhere in their family history, that car was important to them and that’s why I was choking up as I walked by a couple of those cars. They meant something to me and they brought forth memories of long ago days. Once I noticed what was in front of me, I found it very comforting.

Later that day I popped the cork on a bottle of Meiomi sparkling wine, poured a glass and sat back and thought how I had almost let the day go by without realizing what was in front of me. The wine’s fizzy taste and dry minerality was comforting — as were the memories that flowed through me.

So, my friends, Carpe diem! Seize the day and find comfort today — stop and look. You just might be surprised at what you see.

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!