My wife usually wakes up in the morning distressed over one thing or another.  This morning she is worried about whether she is late for school: a return to a childhood nightmare.  I’m pretty sure where it comes from but detail is not important for the sake of this post.  However, just by chance, or intuition, I made a move that seemed to ease her concerns.

I took myself out of the bed and moved to sit on a small bedside table adjacent to her head.  This seemed to have an immediate beneficial impact as I stroked her arm and tried to ease her anxiety.  The reason is quite simple: I am a safe option, no longer in the bed, as she tries to figure out where she is and who I am.  All I am confirming is that I am there to help her; so simple.   As I see the anxieties disappear before my eyes, I almost kick myself for not thinking of this before.

Once I have sorted out what she needs I am off to make her the first cup of tea of the day.  How can the arrival of her ‘Tea Boy’ first thing in the morning be anything other than a good start to the day?