A Few of My Favorite Things

I (Teri) was walking home today, when I was arrested by one of my favorite spring/summer-time aromas -- that of freshly cut grass. It came so suddenly, I had to stop right where I was when I caught the first whiff and just savor the moment. I like earthy smells. Always have. Tilled sod for gardening, rain-soaked ground, pine needles, hay bales, etc. They're among my favorites in a world of colorful fragrances.
Somewhere between 4th and 8th grade, I studied the art of creative writing. My mom had to practically pull teeth to get me to reproduce thoughts on paper, and to this day, writing is not an activity I enjoy. However, I love to READ most types of literature, poetry or prose, and I thoroughly enjoyed some of the exercises from my textbook used to stimulate the writer's awareness of sensory images. Exercises included thinking of all the sounds your hear in a season, or associated with a particular holiday.(go ahead, try it, it's fun! example: summer= lawnmower, lawn sprinklers, fireworks, swimming pool splashes, children shouting "ready or not, here I come!", wind rushing through leaf-laden aspens, the trilling ominousness of rumbling thunder, etc.) Another was to use sensory images in poetic form to describe an emotion. (I think I tried to depict sadness as a slowly melting ice cream cone... or something) Sights, sounds, textures, and tastes are all glorious blessings, but there's nothing quite like smells to really communicate an image. To me, a smell is not just a smell, it's an experience. The heady sweetness of lilacs, husky campfire woodsmoke, sharp Christmas pine, comfortable fresh-baked bread, country breeze-dried laundry, musty wisdom of old books, the crisp excitement of new ones -- I could go on and on. All of these smells are associated with an experience. When I enjoy a fragrance, it is not an isolated incident, it brings me somewhere. This is one reason why I like poetry so much; a great deal of imagery contained in a small space.
When I smell mown grass I can't help but remember my childhood summertime revelries when my dad mowed our lawn. Sometimes he would mow it in a triangular pattern which, when he first began, created a labyrinth of mown strips. Through the pathways of cut lawn, I chased or was chased by my older sister. Or we would invent some adventurous story wherein our characters had to courageously find our way through the maze without being overcome by the lawnmower.... Our shrieking and giggling continued tirelessly until dusk had settled or so much of the lawn was mowed that pathways no longer existed. Then, contentedly weary, we would tumble into the bath to wash away the itchy grass and green-stained feet.
I once read in a science book that of all our senses, the sense of smell was most closely linked to our memories. I believe it.
How marvelous it is to be blessed with all my senses! These abilities make life so much more livable.
Now I can smell dinner in the oven, which reminds me of... my need to set the table. ;)

God bless!
Teri