There are many fresh scents from nature that I love, but there is one special memory from the recent past that I would like to tell you about today. My family lives in Alaska, where the winter snows can begin in October and stay until late spring. The winter season is dark, long and cold. We look forward to the springtime when the sun shines all day, the temperature gets warmer and the snows finally melt away. One day in April of this year, the temperatures were finally warm enough for us to experience the first rain shower of the year. It had been many months since precipitation had come down in the form of rain.
The rain quit falling just as my son and I got out of the car at the park where he was going for soccer practice. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked over at me and asked, “Mom, what is that smell?” I took a deep breath and smiled because I knew exactly what delicious smell he was talking about. A clean freshness from the spring rain was all around us in the air, enveloping my son and I as we walked along the trail.
I answered him and said, “That is the smell of fresh rain.” He quickly replied, “I love that smell! It is my favorite smell.” We then went on to enjoy a brief walk outdoors while we talked about the seasons and how springtime is a time of new life for plants, animals and many of the other things we find in nature. I was really proud of my young son for the attention he pays to his surroundings and his appreciation for the little things around us that can bring us joy, like the smell of fresh rain on the earth.
Fresh rain in the springtime is one of my very favorite scents from nature too. The feeling of hope and sense of clean in the air after a spring rain is invigorating and makes me feel happy. It always amazes me how scents can be associated with our memories, and I know that I will always associate the smell of fresh rain on a spring day with the memory of an outdoor walk with my young son.
Seventh Generation knows that nature’s scents have the unique ability to take us places, remind us of things, and affect our moods. That is why their new line of dish liquids feature natural scents from lemons, clementines and lavender. In celebration of the new product line, they are offering a Nature Makes Perfect Scents sweepstakes, available at www.seventhgeneration.com/scents. The winner will receive a trip for 2 to one of the regions where lemons, clementines and lavender grow, including France and Italy. Be sure to enter to win today!
Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seventh Generation blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
