“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV

I’m thankful for mulch. Yeah, I could go into a whole metaphorical analysis of mulch and my life, but I’m not talking about some hidden meaning.

Because I’m talking about actual mulch. I love how it smells. ‘Tis the season for newly-laid mulch, so when I go for my morning run I get whiffs of it as I run past.

For me, the smell of mulch means the hope of spring, the hope of warm weather, the hope of colorful flowers (and of course the coming of allergies, but if I can still smell the mulch, then I know I’m not too congested). And for someone whose emotional and mental health aren’t the best during the winter months, this smell of hope is everything.

Remember spring of 2020? I was home alone figuring out how to teach online and keep in touch with family and friends. I took one day at a time, because the future was unclear. . . even the future of the next day. Once the weather was warm enough, I took walks every day during my self-imposed lunch break. One day I smelled new mulch, so familiar and predictable amidst chaos and uncertainty. I lived in a condo at the time, so the landscaping was taken care of by a company, and I thanked the workers for spreading the mulch (and I got some strange looks, but who cares!?).

And so I find joy in mulch, because mulch gives me reminders of hope.

(Bonus thought: finding joy in simple things makes life so much sweeter. Those “mountain moments” can be few and far between.)

(Bonus thought 2: I keep saying “finding” joy – maybe because we need to actively look for it, even though it’s always there).

Remember Romans 12:12 from a few weeks ago? (Read it here) It says, “Rejoice in hope. . . ” The Oxford Language Dictionary defines rejoice as feeling “great joy or delight”. So we can find joy in hope. . . even in the smell of it 🙂

Where are you finding joy and “smelling” hope?

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV