The overcast day left the room unusually dark for this hour of the day. The fan was whirling and humming lulling us both to sleep. The heat streamed from the vent next to my chair, a welcome warmth on this wintry afternoon. The smell of a baby gathered around me like a warm blanket.
As I sat in Samuel’s room this afternoon nursing him, I leaned my head back and allowed my mind to wander. In mid-thought, I inhaled deeply, drinking in the moment.
In that moment, that ordinary, everyday moment, I realized that this smell – this sweet, innocent smell of a little boy’s room – would soon be replaced with the unmistakable smells of a big boy. You know, the smelly feet and sweaty gym shorts, the muddy boots, and the sticky, long-forgotten socks under the bed.
The smell of a boy who was once small enough to fit in my arms without curling will be replaced by a big brawny, auburn haired boy. A boy with a splattering of freckles will replace my creamy smooth, ginger haired baby tucked safely at my breast.
It won’t be long before I will no longer comfort him in this way. It won’t be long before matchbox cars are replaced with keys to his own car. It won’t be long before his one foot tosses turn into thirty yard passes. It won’t be long and the fingers that bang the keyboard now will play the ivory notes with perfection.
It won’t be long before this smell of an ordinary day is replaced by another smell and this one will be forgotten … for this too shall pass.
What ordinary smells do you need to take note of today?
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