Vitamin Sensitize

I inhaled deeply as I pulled the large, tan sheet off the clothesline. Thanks to a new home purchase, I'd been utilizing this outdoor energy-saver for several weeks. Each time I stepped outside to collect the laundry, I looked forward to the smell of fabric, freshly dried by the sun.

But today the aroma was missing. Why had the scent disappeared? I inhaled again and, with a jolt, the truth hit me: Familiarity had rendered it obsolete! Just as the undesirable mess of my own home often escapes me, this l desirable detail had grown invisible over time..

I heaved a sigh and tried sniffing the sun-soaked sheet again. I'd just have to work harder in order to enjoy that summertime smell. I didn't want to grow permanently immune, after all.

As I collected the last of the day's laundry, my mind hummed. To how many other beautiful details had I become unwittingly immune? Birdsong. Healthy children. Safety from war, persecution, and plague. A clean kitchen floor under my freshly-showered bare feet.

The list of my most precious treasures grew during the rest of that hot, cloudless day, and  by dinner I fairly bursted with good gifts. I gazed at the faces of my family as I shared my deep thought and saw their expressions soften as they, too, contemplated the kind of immunity they wanted to avoid. It will take careful work on all our parts. But I hope that together, throughout this busy ad blessing-filled summer, we can re-sensitize ourselves to all the goodness we've forgotten. It'll feel like a shot in the arm of good cheer, I am sure, one that will bolster us for times of unforeseen trial far ahead.