On Smelling Dirt ...

I had a surprising and interesting experience yesterday that I wanted to share. As I have mentioned on here a time or two, mindfulness (being aware of and in the present moment) is something I believe in and have been working on for a few years now (this stuff takes time, energy and thoughtfulness and like anything, is a life long journey).

I had this wonderful morning where I enjoyed a cup of strong coffee in my car, listening to a new playlist I had downloaded of a forgotten favourite artist, Ani DiFranco, and generally felt pleased and calm on my commute. And then it happened; a strange and sudden surprise. I stepped out of my car on a grey, damp day and noticed immediately the smell of dirt; the strong, potent smell of earth all around me. I took a deep breath in and said 'wow, that smells good. I never thought I'd see the day'. So for some people, dirt might be a lovely smell; however for me, it's one I've never noticed.

I was immediately taken aback by my reaction and pleased; this was a sweet benefit of mindfulness that I keep hearing about! My head wasn't mad about commuting, stressed about my day ahead, complaining about feeling tired or grim about the greyness of the day; it was pleased about the smell of dirt and that Spring is on route. A neat and random experience! Bring on the smell of dirt, world! Apparently it does good things for me :)

When you're living presently, what strange surprises have you noticed?