I grew up splitting my time between the suburbs and the
mountains. My parents split when I was
little and my mom stayed in the suburbs and my day moved to the mountains.
When I’d visit my dad, I always enjoyed the smells of the mountains. To me, the smell of the mountains is the
heavy scent of pine, melting snow in the soil, fresh cut wood, fires from
chimneys and Colorado moss growing on the rocks.
Any one of those smells today trigger a calming effect on my
mind as well as my body.
Along my current walking route (in a warehouse district of town) on
my lunch hour, I pass a small group of pine trees. I breathe in deeply and smile while passing
every time. My body relaxes and I walk
more comfortably after I pass that spot.
If a small group of pine trees in a warehouse district can
do that for me as an adult remembering childhood smells, what might essential oils and studied aromatherapy have in
store?Danielle Rose, a practicing herbalist, says that she frequently uses white pine for frayed nerves and to help move through grief. She says that an infusion or tincture of white pine is also highly beneficial for congestion, especially congestion in the lungs, where grief is often held. Interesting.
Visiting the mountains takes me away from the hustle and bustle
of life. Walking next to a stream or
river, sitting and closing my eyes for minutes or hours. Huddling under a blanket and seeing my breath
while the snow falls. Watching and
hearing the wind move through the branches and smell whatever it brings to me.
Listen to the water and feel the forest around you.
This is calm.
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