My mom brought me a stem of eucalyptus to hang in my shower.
It was a Sunday afternoon. I had spent the day in the rain, with my shirt still cold. And my mom had brought a stick into my dorm.
I complained that it would get moldy, that it was impractical. I was cold and tired and hungry and I didn’t have string to hang up eucalyptus in my shower.
She told me it wouldn’t get moldy, but that it should only last a week anyways. She told me to enjoy it while it lasted. She squeezed the leaves and lifted her hand in front of my face. It smelled fresh, and like my room back home. She showed me how to crack the leaves so that the aroma could catch in the steam.
The stem is still on my coffee table. I’ll hang it up in my shower tonight.
Have a Bright Spot to share? Send it to Managing Editor Julia Lerner (lernerj@denison.edu). Tell us about the moment that made you smile in under 200 words, and try to include a photograph. We’ll add it to our growing list of Bright Spots on TheReportingProject.org!