Pancakes

I am not complaining. Really.

But...

While my friend was here we found that there is a new breakfast cafe that has opened a couple miles from my house. This morning while out for my morning run I was minding my own business, listening to my MP3 and happily running out the sleepiness and enjoying the cool desert air (the temperature was a chilly 82).

I am used to different smells while running. There is the smell of burning car oil from an old blue truck that passes me every morning. There is the lady I always see walking, she is always completely done up, hair, makeup, and very strong perfume. There is the smell of the desert mesquite and the palo verde trees, and the recycled water the city uses to water the lawn at the park.

But today, there was a new smell.

As I rounded the corner at the 2.5 mile mark I suddenly smelled the sweet, rich aroma of pancakes.

For the record, it's hard to run when you smell pancakes.

This reminded me of when I was a kid. My Dad had taken up bike riding, or it might have been running, I am not sure. Anyway, he would get up early and go out to exercise. One early morning the phone rang and my mom came out of her room fully dressed and said, "Let's go."

It seemed that my Dad had run past the Bagel Bakery and decided that the aroma of fresh bagels was too much to ignore. He called my mom to bring his wallet and to come have some breakfast. We all laugh about this story and there has always been a part of me that thought that this wasn't an accident. Perhaps my Dad had always intended to stop by for a bagel.

But now I am not so sure, because it was almost as if those pancakes were calling to me. Luring me away from routine and inviting me in for coffee...

I may have to change my route.