The Nose Knows

The NOSY cat, Charlie. According to one source, they can pick up scents 14 times better than we can.

Running with the dogs a few days ago was quite the little adventure. Noses to the ground, my two running buddies led me straight through bramble, brush and your usual collection of stickery, spiny Texas vegetation. We were following deer trails…and cow trails..and maybe even the scent of a few hogs.

I started thinking about how keen dogs’ noses are….they can smell 100 times better than we can. I think we’d probably go crazy if we could smell everything they smell.

 

I wonder if running through the pasture is like reading a book or watching a movie for a dog.

Running in town the other day with a friend, we talked about the various fragrances (and stenches) along the road. Some things are yucky – road kill, exhaust fumes. But early in the morning you can pick up the the aroma of bacon sizzling and pancakes on the griddle.  On Saturdays, people do laundry and the clean, crisp smell of laundry detergent floats in the air. And there is NOTHING like fresh mowed grass. Ahhhh! Or bee brush before the rain….or honeysuckle…or a fireplace.

What can you smell this moment? I smell my shampoo and the oil in the diffuser.  I cleaned house today with an eco-friendly cleaner and I can still pick up the faint geranium perfume.

What smells do you love? Rain? Rosemary? Dog? Curry?

Smells are memories too. Does the smell of a chocolate cupcake bring back the memory of a birthday party 40 years ago?  Does the hint of a certain cologne remind you of the guy you dated back in the 80’s?

Lisa had an “eraser” nose.

Try to notice smells for a few days. Pause and inhale and pay attention. Maybe it’s the mindfulness of sniffing that contributes to the peace dogs and cats seem to sometimes possess.

 

BREATHE…