When I feel the sting of sunburn on my shoulder, I reach for an aloe leaf. When I wake in the middle of the night, revisiting things I wish I had done differently forty years ago, I turn on meditation music. When my feelings are hurt, I reach out to a friend for comfort.

These salves coat my raw nerves and anxiety and highlight what I most need at that moment.

Sometimes, they surprise me as if I didn’t know I needed them. Like when  I see Greta Thunberg reacting to the plight of others with humanity, her wisdom and activism bring much-needed hope. When I hear someone sincerely apologize to another for their pain, humanity is restored, if only for a moment.

The challenge becomes how can I provide a restorative and heart-felt salve in the world? To my family? To my neighbor? To perfect strangers?

My salve often comes as deep listening to another’s pain. Believing their story even if I find it unbelievable. To simply show up without having to own their pain as my own. To pass along what has been offered to me.

Salves are rarely a solution, yet they are appreciated and necessary.

Acting as a salve is about recognizing the humanity in others without it ever having to be your shared experience.

Such measures can come from within with kinder words and thoughts to and about yourself.

What comforts do you offer? What salve do you need?

Mary