Commute

I recently started biking to work. It's amazing how much more there is to sense when you're on a bicycle. Today I was particularly cognizant of the smells. There was the appropriate smell of freshly brewed coffee emanating from a Starbucks. There were the sharp fumes coming from the transit bus. The two men who got off the bus left a trail of cologne in their wake. Much more pleasant was the woman's perfume as she crossed the street in front of me downtown, while I waited for the light to change. Then the sweet smell of baked bread, and hot cookies. The scent of garbage. And chemicals - paint?

I think about my ability to identify all of these smells, and can't help but feel it is a wonderful brain exercise, just riding my bike to work.