All throughout the day I have bathed in the heady scent of lilacs.
The large lilac bushes - the ones with the enormous flower heads - are done for the season, but the bushes with smaller clusters of blooms are still in full flower
The first wave of scent caressed my awakening, carried in by the cool breeze of a May rainstorm. Eau de lilacs enveloped me in a gentle cloud of fragrance. I took a moment to inhale the bouquet of spring along with the sharply brazen smell of coffee.
As I let the dogs into the yard, another whiff of lilacs lured me to the porch, where I spent a moment inhaling the beauty before me; purple iris a riot of color in my not-yet-weeded flower beds, and glorious shades of hostas - from palest yellow-green, through stripes of white, to darkest blue green leaves, a lush study in monochrome.
Later, as I waste time on my computer instead of preparing for a class, lilacs' sweet aroma circles my senses, bringing me back to the task at hand.
A trip to the library and more lilacs, their perfume cascading from all sides, and my attention again focuses on the life and beauty around me. My smile, so wide and genuine, brings me a moment of connection with passersby, a shared appreciation for the day before us.
Later, as I practice a lovingkindness mediation, the gentle perfume of lilacs does indeed bring me peacefulness and ease.
I am happy.
