Sights and Smells

I went running this morning for the first time in a few weeks. I have nothing to blame but laziness for the lag in time. I have been going to the Y almost every other day, so that's been my saving grace. I'm hoping the schedule of being back in school will help me get back into a regular workout schedule.

On my run this morning, I paid attention to the sights and smells as I went on my merry way. I put on my iPod, closed the front door of the house and ran down the steps. I was on my way. I have been running the same route for a long time, and I really need to change it up. But it's easy to know that when I'm done, it will be 3 miles. If I try another route, I have to track it all over again. (Again, the laziness factor creeps in.)

As I turned the corner onto Stadium Blvd., cars rushed past me on the street and I smelled the exhaust of a big construction truck. Up the hill of the bridge over State St., I always smell a plant that I remember from Hawaii. This instantly puts me back in Hawaii with the warm tropical breezes blowing constantly. Those thoughts quickly disappeared as my legs screamed out toward the top of the bridge. I made it, I think, as I looked down onto the soccer and field hockey fields, just waiting to be filled with players practicing or playing a game.

My legs breathed a sigh of relief, as did I, as I made my way down the other side of the bridge. The parking lot was filled with cars of commuters that then wait for the shuttle in to campus. Crisler Arena is ahead on the right where the sidewalk starts going up in a little hill. This is where I usually see other people riding their bikes or running too. Some of them will give a little wave or smile, and some will look the other way. Either way, I'm challenged to go further.

Up ahead on the right is Michigan Stadium. Today I noticed that most of the vendor tents are set-up for the opening game next week. Tents that will be selling philly cheese steak sandwiches, roasted almonds, nachos, and other football fare. As I rounded the corner onto Main Street, I smelled apples. For a minute I thought it may be the remnants in one of the tents that normally sells apple cider, but then noticed that a crab apple tree had dropped a bunch of its fruit on the ground. The smashed apples on the ground smelled just like cider. A sure sign of fall.

Down the hill and then up again along the stadium on Main St., I spotted signs that said the sidewalk was closed. I wondered why they needed to close the sidewalk, but quickly realized that they were putting in a new sidewalk and curbs. Everyone seemed so serious when I looked at the men working. I'm sure the rain last week slowed their progress and they have strict orders to have the project completed by the opening game.

As I ran past the car wash I smelled the car soap mixed with grime and dirt. I had to pass a few people walking to work or the bus stop, and tried not to startle them in the process. The smell of fresh lumber came to me as I reached the railroad tracks right next to the lumber yard. And then the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap came to me as I passed Leopold Brothers bar, getting cleaned from a late Sunday night of debauchery.

The last "big" hill was ahead of me, and I heard my legs moan their usual moan as I ran up. The evergreen bushes on my right gave off a pine scent and helped to keep my mind off of the pain. I made my way down Packard and was thankful when the road took its downward slope. I passed Cottage Inn Pizza already cooking some pizza, the smells making me want to stop and have breakfast right there. Jimmy John's was next and I could smell their bread being baked for a day of sandwich making.

I turned the corner at State St. and noticed the usual signs of a good weekend in the student section of the neighborhood. Tables with cups still set-up for beer pong, couches and chairs on porches and front lawns, grills for barbecuing abandoned after the last hot dog was eaten. Some students staggering to work or home. Some who were sleep deprived, some who had too much fun the night before. The smell of garbage was there too, it was garbage day today. All of the houses along State St. had their garbage cans at the curb waiting to be emptied by the garbage trucks. Inevitably a critter or garbage picker would get into a garbage can and leave remnants of the contents strewn on the lawn or in the street.

Rose St. I was finally near home. My momentum picked up a little from the sight of that street sign. I ran past the park where someone was cutting the grass. I took in that smell and held it because that is a true summer smell. As I rounded the corner to our house, I smelled exhaustion and triumph. I was home.