Breathe It In..

Pool water.

Cilantro.

Fresh baked bread.

Pine trees.

Ocean breeze.

What links all these?

Smell.

And with each one, it brings to mind something specific, a memory. Scientists say our sense of smell is the strongest of the five. A particular scent can produce a memory so vivid that we can temporarily lose our sense of time and be brought back to the moment associated with that scent.

Pool water reminds me of summer, swimming like a dolphin, playing with my kids.

Cilantro makes me think of guacamole dip, chips, and an iced cold Corona, sitting on my patio on a summer day.

Fresh baked bread brings me back to my childhood, when my mom would make it from scratch and set it on the kitchen hearth to rise.

Pine trees mean Christmas, and trudging through the cold with my boys and husband, trying to find that perfect tree before our toes froze.

Ocean breezes whip up memories of my teen years, when I lived near the Long Island Sound. My friends and I would hang out at the beach, swimming, having bonfires, throwing parties and 'parking' (making out).

Whether you're a writer, reader, student of life or all three, enjoy that olfactory organ and breathe it all in.

Char

The Wonder of Little Things

I love the smell of the ocean; it brings back childhood memories of growing up close enough to smell a briny wind off the Long Island Sound. Studies have shown that smell evokes the strongest memories. I wish someone could bottle that scent for me.

This is a rock that was in a lava flow at one time; you can see the lava still stuck onto it. I was weeding my pool gardens and saw it. Maybe it's billions of years old- before the Christian era, before the start of civilization in the Middle East, maybe even before life...

This is lamb's ear. When you touch it, it feels as soft as (I guess) a lamb's ear. I wish you could run your fingertips over it, it would amaze and delight you.

Is there anything better than the crunchy, earthy taste of cucumbers grown in your garden? Maybe some companion tomatoes. Ah, the taste of summer...

There are few things that delight my ears more than my children's laughter. When I hear my son and his friend laughing and horsing around in the pool, I feel a joy that goes beyond a favorite song, even a Christmas carol.

Take time to get away from your desk, your job, your chores. your stress, and appreciate

the wonder of little things....

Char