About a blanket

I call it “The Linus Syndrome” – the personal need for a security blanket (which was a phrase coined by Charles Schultz) while being very comfortable with who you are. Linus Van Pelt, the most intellectual and theological expressive of the Peanuts gang, has a fixation on his beloved blue blanket. He is seldom seen without. The other characters, especially his sister Lucy and his ever threatening grandmother, will go to great lengths to rid Linus of his blanket. Their criticism and futile attempts doesn’t upset Linus. He is at peace with himself and his world because he knows who is in charge.

We all need a security blanket of sorts. A safe place to go to when life happens and things go bump-in-the-night!

We are often told, especially as we get older, that we need to learn to cope … whatever “cope” means. Isn’t picking up your blue security blanket coping? Aren’t there times when just covering your head, as Linus often does with his blanket when times get tough, is a wiser coping choice than fighting the demons who surround you? As the saying goes, “It is hard to drain the swamp when you are surrounded by alligators!”

As I climbed between my flannel sheets and a couple of layers of blankets last night I fully embraced The Linus Syndrome within me. I couldn’t do anything about the freezing temperature, but I could warm myself with the “security” of my “blue blanket.” As I drifted off to sleep I was a peace for all was right in the world because I knew who was in charge.

Quote for today: “The older I get, the surer I am that I’m not running the show.” Leonard Cohen