The other day I was telling my therapist about how much I enjoy talking to a friend of mine who is a much calmer person than I am.

“When I’m talking about something really serious, he takes me seriously, but he doesn’t get so serious himself that it magnifies my seriousness and makes it even worse.  So even conversations about heavy subjects aren’t depressing or nerve-wracking.  It’s interesting.”

“It sounds pretty good,” my therapist said.

“Yeah. I think I need to spend time with people who are more relaxed than me.  It helps me relax a bit, too.”

“You should try to wear life like a loose blanket and not like a cement suit.”

“Yes! Or a straitjacket!”

“Or a straitjacket, yes.”

So this is me, trying really hard (but not too hard!) to wear life like a loose blanket and not a cement suit or a straitjacket: