What will you smell like?

After my last trip to Webster Cave, as I do every cave trip, I hosed off my gear and set it out to dry.  While picking it up a few days later I noticed once again, that cave smell.  I really believe that it would take a lot of work to get that smell out of my caving equipment. 

I have this gear that is dedicated to caving, it has a simple existence.  Go into a cave for walking, wading, crawling, slithering, climbing, etc.  It gets fully immersed in cave.  When it comes out it gets hosed off, dries out a couple of days, then goes into a bag for storage until the next trip. 

Because it spends its life that way, this equipment is permeated with cave smell.  It’s not a bad smell, just a particular one.  In fact, when I pull my equipment out to get it ready for another trip I relish that cave smell, it’s almost like stepping into the cave.

I’d be willing to bet that when I get home from a caving trip my wife smells that cave smell on me.  I’d be willing to bet that when she does, she can see herself inside a cave.  Smells can be powerful like that.

There are some people that, rather than immerse themselves in a cave, immerse themselves in negativity.

Have you ever experienced that?   Have you had someone around you who was so focused on negativity that that’s all they talk about?  I have.

I knew someone who every day when they got back from their fast food job selling hastily prepared fish had stories to tell.  Always it was some rude customer or some lazy coworker or some incompetent manager.  Always when they told the story I could see them reliving it.  The stress of the situation came back, the tension showed on their face, the anger overwhelmed them. 

It was downright scary.

So I started working on avoiding immersing myself in negativity.

 Whatever you wallow in, you can expect to smell like.

 Yes negative things happen in life, that doesn’t mean we have to wallow in the negativity.  Get through it, experience it, learn from it, then let go of it.  If you are going to wallow, wallow in positivity.  If you are going to relive something, and share it with others, relive the high points.  Positive things happen in life too.

 

Like I said earlier, when I come home after wallowing in a cave, I bet my wife gets a vicarious caving experience from the way I smell.  I know that if I come home after wallowing in negativity she will get that experience vicariously too.  Is that something I want to share with my loved ones?