Stop and Smell the Lilacs

I was out for a run the other day and lucky for me had to stop for a red light, which gave me a

chance to catch my breath but it gave me an opportunity for something even better, I got to

stick my whole face into a lilac tree in full bloom and fragrance!

So many of you know that scent is connected to memory and as I stood there at the light,

smelling this flowers I had flashes of coming home from school to a sunny kitchen, my mom

baking, and a vase with fresh lilacs on the table.  My heart melted in that moment to think  of

how sweet my mom is, how much I love her, how much I miss here, and our family home with all

it’s memories.  I remembered how much I loved the two lilac trees in the back yard, how the

smell was so strong it infused the air outside.  I can see the trees just as they were when I was

young, the two different shades of lavender and dark purple.

As I travel back home, it will be my first time home at this time of the year in almost 10 years,

the first thing I am going to do is go into the back yard, pick some lilacs and put them in a vase

on the table.  All this from stopping for 15 seconds to smell the lilacs.

Do not miss your life!  Do not sit back and watch it go by!  Do not leave things unresolved, you

never know when someone in your life will be gone!  We are often so busy and rushed that

we’re missing opportunities to connect to nature, to heal old wounds, mend friendships, and

be present and fully alive in the moment.

I’d like to thank my neighbours Frank & Ellie for bringing some lilacs over to our house yesterday!

We’ll let me be honest I threatened to steal some of there lilacs 🙂  Last night I hung out with my

dog and husband, feeling deeply nostalgic because the room was filled with the fragrance of

my favourite childhood smell.

Mindy