"I found one remaining box of comics which I had saved. When I opened it up and that smell came pouring out, that old paper smell, I was struck by a rush of memories, a sense of my childhood self that seemed to be contained in there."
~Michael Chabon
Today I am grateful for the magic and wonder of the five senses, particularly the sense of smell and how it connects us to our soul nature. The inspiration came to me while I was driving home from work one beautiful spring day with the windows open. There were so many wonderful smells in the air--eucalyptus, pine, fresh mowed grass--wafting through the air and filling up my senses. What an invigorating feeling! It got me thinking about the blessing of the five senses, especially the sense of smell.
As I'm driving I begin to imagine the scents of each of my favorite flowers--gardenia, jasmine, narcissus, lilacs, roses. Ahh...right away all tension drains from my body, and I am breathing more deeply, just in recalling those fragrances. There is a marked shift in my mood and energy level as I smile and breathe. I also notice that specific memories are coming to mind. When I close my eyes and think of lilacs, I swear I can actually smell them, and it brings me back to my teen years in New England and the lilac bushes in our back yard. All of a sudden it is May in Connecticut and I am sixteen again, full of spring and promise.
I think of another favorite scent, balsam pine, and am immediately transported to a lean-to in the Adirondacks lined with fresh pine boughs, feeling the crisp cool night air, lying in a down sleeping bag in front of a crackling fire, listening to the loons on the lake and counting shooting stars in the vast night sky overhead. I used to stuff pillow cases full of fresh pine needles to bring home from our vacations in the mountains so I could make little balsam pillows to have in our home year round. What a wonderful infusion of mountain energy, when I would hold one of those pillows to my nose, close my eyes, and inhale deeply...magically transported miles and years away to our retreat in the woods.
Magic, that's what it is. Today I am grateful for the gift of the five senses through which we may experience the magic and wonder of the universe and feel our connection to it all.
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