Wounds and Remedies
Life sucks sometimes. But the remedies are there for us to gather closely in our arms to bask in their quiet comfort.
Wounds
Being made fun of for the way I walked
Being told I was ugly and never be attractive to any partner
Being hit for not doing someone's homework while sick
Moving to America and being made fun of for my accent and mispronunciations
Being told I would never be able to be promoted despite a high review score and being a hard worker
When a coworker made fun of me for not owning a car
Being told I'm hateful
Being told not to cry
My father leaving me
My mother dying
Being told I have only myself to blame for my pain
Having 6 weeks of maternity leave
Being told to talk to the CEO if I had any issues with getting 6 weeks, or if I needed time for my daughter
My daughter's first few months of kindergarten
Not being allowed to be human
My daughter's seizures
Every single trip to the ER when a new seizure happened
Being told I am weak
Being sexually assaulted
Every rejection, real or perceived
Remedies
My daughter telling me that she loves me
My daughter's laugh
Any child laughing
Thunderstorms
Ginger tea
A hug
Birdsong
Warm coffee
A hand squeeze
A letter from a friend
Empathy
A fun RPG to play
Telling a joke that makes people laugh
My space heater
Reading something immersive
Drawing
Music
When my insurance agent calls me honey sugar pie
The scent of vanilla, lemon, lavender, and rose
Casting on something to knit
Laughing until my stomach hurts
Cheesy horoscope readings
The cool feeling of stones against my palm
Blueberry lemon sweets
Feeding Lord Souron
The scent of something baking
Making a bouquet for my kitchen
The camellia against the moss of the temple, the violet hues of the Kyoto mountains, a blue porcelain cup—this sudden flowering of pure beauty at the heart of ephemeral passion: is this not something we all aspire to? And something that, in our Western civilization, we do not know how to attain?
Muriel BarberyThe Elegance of the Hedgehog