Smell the Grass

This week, I have been a bit occupied about my yard and needing to mow the grass, after two weeks traveling it really grew and needs to be cut.  Even with that preoccupation, I have yet to mow.  I have also considered purchasing a new mower, which I really do need for my fenced yard, yet I have still haven't placed an order. 

Back to that in a moment...

Last night as well as the last several days since I returned, there have been daily afternoon, evening and late night thunderstorms in the area.  This is great for my grass to grow even more...but more importantly for this story, it has really raised the humidity in the area and in my house.

So back to smelling the grass.  After a reasonable commute (at least reasonable by my new DC standards) this morning, I opened my drivers side window about a block before I arrived at my office.  For that block, I pass by a large grassy city park and the sun had risen high enough to start putting some heat and soli light onto the grass.  This brought out a smell, that I am sure I have smelled many times in the last 20 years, though the memory that was immediately brought to mind was from the summer of 1996.

In the summer of 1996, I spent a month living with a family and playing soccer in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  During this summer, even though technically it was Southern Hemisphere winter, it was quite warm and humid in the lower lands of Bolivia and still quite close to the equator, especially compared to everywhere in the US.  During this time in Bolivia, I rarely played on fields of lush grass, let alone much grass at all, yet there was a smell of grass and humidity.  That smell and those experiences in Bolivia are now tied so closely in my mind that even after a couple of decades, I can be transported back in time instantaneously.

Today, taking those few moments to smell the grass, led me to a series of great memories of a very profound and impactful period of my life.  I hope I get to "smell the grass" many more times this summer as I adjust to my new region...and I will eventually mow the grass at my house!