First smell of the day, blissfully, is the strong aroma of Sumatra coffee that’s released when I open the plastic coffee container we keep in the freezer. The aroma is intensified when the gurgling coffeemaker starts to brew and sends it’s addictive scent throughout the house.
Walking out to get the paper offers my favorite view each morning–the constellations etched into the very early morning sky.

Picking up the papers is another sensory opportunity these days. The plastic newspaper bags, slightly damp from the early morning moisture, are covered with the fine grit of ash that has dusted everything here. Southern California is burning up right now, but our ash isn’t from the new fires. The Santa Ana winds have given us a fresh reminder of the Zaca fire that burned for two months last summer. When I pull off the bags my fingers are blackened.
Making lunch unleashes splashes of creativity. Cucumber in hand, I pick up the peeler and contemplate the possibilities. I decide to peel large stripes of skin, creating thinly striped circles of pale green edged with alternating areas of dark green. First I think they look like pinwheels but then I imagine mini circus tents dotting the cutting board. Satisfied, I move onto the mustard.

Early morning sensory details conclude with the lighting of the scented candle when I take a shower. I do some of my best thinking in the shower and I love to turn off the lights and bathe in the combined glow of candlelight and the pale morning sun that comes in through the frosted glass windows. I let the bathroom steam up. The fan is too noisy and interrupts my thoughts. When I get out I dry off carelessly. The towel, still damp from yesterday’s shower, holds a lingering moist scent. Then I hurry to write down what I’ve been thinking about before it slips away.
My last consciously creative act of the day takes place at work. I share my “office” with a wall stapled with classroom art. The most recent offering comes from three different second grade classes. Scarecrows and pumpkins honoring fall have been unevenly scattered on the grey fabric covering the wall. Crooked art makes me a little crazy, but it’s the starkness of the display that spurs me into action. I head to the workroom, paw through the box of recyclable construction paper scraps until I have a batch of green, orange, yellow and red pieces.

As I write this I’m satisfied with my creative efforts from yesterday. Looking for the sensory details could be a positive new addiction. Adding them to my life and my writing is a win-win.
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