The Comfort Book

Part 3 begins with a quotation by Laura Esquivel: “Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us” (131).

In “Candle,” Haig states that even when one cannot see clearly what they have, they have not ceased to have those things. However, light shows that “what we thought was lost was merely hidden” (133).

In “A bag of moments,” Haig recommends saving, writing down, and placing moments in a “metaphorical bag” (134). Preserving happy moments in this way can facilitate present and future happiness.

“Your most treasured possession” advises readers not to “ruin” the present with thoughts and anxieties about the future.

In “Wolf,” Haig encourages readers to feel what they feel rather than resisting.

In “Burn,” Haig describes a sleepover on New Year’s Eve when he was 16; he had drunk a lot of cider and was standing too close to a fire, and he accidentally burned his leg. Despite the severity of the injury, he turned down the offer of an ambulance and could not sleep that night due to the pain. He walked six miles home, limping, sober, and in excruciating pain. After he returned home, he went to the hospital. At the hospital, the specialist cautioned him against delaying while in pain or pretending the pain doesn’t exist.