Every morning when they’re let outside, my dogs race to the farthest reaches of the back yard, and do their business. Then, they saunter back, pausing in the center of the deck to sniff the air. Their little noses quiver as they taste all the different scents and flavors – traces of gecko, evidence of birds, the lingering essence of last night’s rain, or morning fog.

This morning, I took a lesson from them, and after I brewed a strong mug of chai, I went out onto the patio to taste the air. I sat in my favorite lawn chair, even though there was almost no sun, and watched the wind chase clouds across the sky, and then, watched the sky begin to darken into the beginning of a storm.

The storm never came, but that half an hour of fresh air and cool morning breeze blew a smile onto my face.