This is what my feet and legs look like after a nice long hike on my regular hiking path. The dirt is red and this is the result. It's satisfying to get home, remove my socks and see the evidence of my little outdoor experience.A hike does good things for me. Not only physically, but mentally. I know that if I am feeling a little down, I can pick myself up from the couch of doldrums, put on my hikin' boots and do it. Without fail, my spirits are always lifted. It's that endorphin thing I've mentioned before. It's also just being out in the fresh air, seeing the foliage, looking up at the sky and knowing that this costs nothing, but it is one of the best things in life.
When I hike, I also enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy. Although I've never had a "professional" aromatherapy session, I have realized how certain smells can create positive and uplifting thoughts and feelings. My main source is this little plant that proliferates in this area. It is all along the sides of my regular hiking path and even grows here on the hillside where we live. I tried to find out what it is by researching on the Internet, but no luck. I'll keep trying.
When I am ready to experience it's aromatic benefits, I pull a few pieces off of the end of one stem, rub it between my fingers and smell it. This particular plant smells like Thanksgiving and I think it must be some kind of wild sage or thyme. This smell brings to mind the little cabin we've rented sometimes, the early morning 'put the turkey' in the oven, the walk along a sunny dirt road in crisply cool air, the pine on the hillside, a warm, firelit log room. Whatever it is, it is my favorite smell along with that of fall aspen leaves - another wonderful gift from the great outdoors.
