Collecting Firewood

Collecting Firewood
Originally uploaded by juliejordanscott

I felt them through my sneaker as my feet burrowed under a comforter of autumn leaves that had willingly given themselves over to the Earth. I inhaled, deeply, and looked up towards the end of the path where my children were standing, waiting for me.

I felt the scent of the leaves’ offering enter my bloodstream. Pure contentment.

I watched my children watch me patiently.

I leaned over and picked up a handful of the moist leaves and brought them to my face. I pressed them to my nose, felt their wet velvety skins snuggle against my skin. I inhaled deeply again, intimately knowing their journey back into the soil as they were readying to become dirt again. I closed my eyes and felt deep satisfaction.

I remembered a list of my favorite smells that I created recently, just for the heck of it.

“Things about to become dirt again,” I wrote on the list. Things scented like these gorgeous leaves, saying “our cycle in this form is finished, we are ready and surrendered to becoming dirt, entering the force of life in a slightly altered fashion… have your way with us world, we are ready for your next step.”

A slight smile curved my lips as I lifted my foot from the comforter of leaves and walked mindfully towards my waiting children.