What's that smell?

I worked at a flavor company this past summer, and as you can imagine there were all kinds of smells. Part of my job was to mix different chemicals together (ie things that smelled pretty harsh and weird) in the right proportions to yield delicious strawberry, chocolate, or, (my favorite,) Trix cereal scents. I generally came home from work smelling like a mix of tobacco and birthday cake - or at least that's how my sister described it. There were quite a few memorable aspects of the job (such as free coffee and two of the sweetest/kindest bosses ever) but honestly the most highlighted memory in my mind was the smells. 

Smell can be both subtle and sharp at the same time. I remember numerous occasions when one of my coworkers in the lab would come in after spending time in the offices and announce "Oh, it smells so gross in here, like (rancid bacon/sewer/rotten cabbage/etc," or maybe the more pleasurable, "Mmmm! Who's making (strawberry/caramel/coconut)?" 

Having been in the lab for hours, though, none of the rest of us would be aware of any such smell, which was often times blissful ignorance. (No, I do not want to take a whiff of your carefully crafted "egg yolk" flavor, thankyouverymuch.)

We become habituated to a lot of different things in life, not just the various smells in our workplaces: things like the commute to work, the ever-present need to do laundry, and the way our "X"-in-law annoyingly chews with his/her mouth open. Or maybe we don't, but we should.

But then there are other things that we come to ignore that we maybe shouldn't: beautiful sunsets every night, gorgeous landscapes, the immense blessing of family and friends, our daily bread. 

I too often tend to fall victim to "the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side" syndrome failing to acknowledge the many ways that my own life is beautiful, and kind of plod along in frustrated disillusionment until someone else points it out for me. Instead of the smell of fresh fruit, it's the "Wow, look at the amazing view you have out the window," or, if I share my hopes/dreams/plans (Lord willing, of course), the "That sounds so cool!" And guess what? It is cool - even if nobody else points it out. 

I'm not a "New Years Resolution" person (because I believe that our lives change for the better when we draw nearer to God and He convicts us -- not because we have enough will power) but I am a "Prayer" person. One of my prayers lately is that God will help me to be aware of the beauty around me on a moment-by-moment basis, and that I don't become jaded to the many ways that I am blessed.My prayer is that I wouldn't fall into emotionless routines, but that I would be actively seeking the will of God in everything I do.

This is often known as a season of thankfulness and gratitude, but let us be thankful to God for His presence every single day, yes?