Finding Light in Small Rituals: A Nurse’s Reflection from Aurum Garland
Some truths are simple. Life makes them hard. After decades as a nurse and a director in healthcare quality, I thought I understood self-care. Then, leading others through their darkest moments taught me how deeply the small ways we care for ourselves matter just as much as the big ones.
As the founder of Aurum Garland, with hands that have both healed and comforted patients through joy and loss, belonging starts with ourselves first. It is easy to put off care when urgency, achievement, and even guilt start to pile up. There is one lesson that comes from both nursing practice and the countless stories my community brings to the studio: self-care isn't selfish. It is stewardship.
Every handmade soap and soy candle at Aurum Garland gently resists a world that values hustle over heart. After a long shift, entering the studio to measure, blend, and pour becomes an anchor for me. The scents of fir needle, citrus, or lavender do more than fragrance the air. They remind us we can claim a few moments of peace within chaos. Small rituals, practiced with intention, root us in something real.
Brené Brown teaches that showing up imperfectly is better than waiting for perfect. Mistakes happen to nurses, caregivers, and everyone else. Vulnerability is not weakness. It is the path to courage. Courage sometimes means admitting we need to slow down and trusting that each little ritual, whether lighting a candle, lathering with handmade soap, or taking a walk, really is enough.
Gary John Bishop’s directness speaks to me: no one is coming to rescue us. If wellness matters, it is time to stop old stories that say we do not have enough time, or do not deserve care. Choose a ritual, however small, and own it. Life does not slow down unless we set boundaries and claim these small joys for ourselves.
Cy Wakeman stresses radical accountability. That applies not just to patient outcomes but to our own well-being. Accountability begins and ends in how we structure our everyday lives and the rituals we create and protect. Real change happens only when we take responsibility for those choices.
At this midweek wellness check-in, ask yourself: Where do you find your pause? When do you truly exhale? The answer might be simple. It could be the warmth of suds in your hand, the flicker of a candle’s flame after dark, or the first deep inhale of your favorite essential oil blend.
Allow your rituals to be imperfect and real. Let them be enough. By holding these moments close, you create a vibrant, more resilient self. That change arrives, one small intention at a time.
With warmth and resilience,
Garland, Nurse & Founder of Aurum Garland