A Tiny Symbol of Self-Love

Who knew a band-aide could stand for so much?

It had been a long, stress-filled Tuesday. The clock showed 8:08 pm as I was leaving my office. I was tired, having seen 8 clients that day, with ½ hour of free time since 8 am.

I was leaving in 2 days to go to CA to stay with my mom, niece and nephew so my sister and brother-in-law could have a short vacation. In short—I was busy, with a long list of things to accomplish before I left.

A few days before I sliced off a small chunk of thumb cutting up tomatoes. I ran out of band-aides, and every time I hit the tip of my thumb it throbbed in pain.

Let’s just say I was not having a good time at 8:09 pm, having hit my thumb for what seemed like the 100^th time, as I got into my car. I had previously decided to wait until Wednesday afternoon to buy band-aides because that would be the most efficient time to do it. (I am uber keen on being efficient.)

At 8:10, as I sat in my car, cradling my thumb, I made a decision. Efficient or not, I drove directly to the store to buy band-aides. As soon as I got back into my car with the purchased band-aides I put one on.

My entire body relaxed–I had taken time for a small act of self-care.

When I got home I further changed my plans and took a short walk in my neighborhood to investigate the new gardens that had sprung up this spring. I noticed the care my neighbors had put into making bare earth beautiful. I watched the sky get darker. I smelled the fragrant trees. I wrote this post.

I was in the present moment. I still had things to do, but I did them with more peace, less urgency and more energy.

Who knew a band-aide could foster such a change of attitude?

What do you do in your life that is a tiny symbol of self-love—small actions that bring noticeable shifts or gifts?

Want a suggestion? Do more of them. They make a difference.