It seems that lately my sense of smell has been fairly stunted. I can perhaps attribute this to my smoking habit. It seems to do that. I haven’t had real taste for years either.

Today, however, things changed dramatically. I was greeted with a plethora of smells today. I’m not sure if my smell has improved or not. I actually think it has more to do with the fact that I’m no longer so wrapped up in everything but the moment.

I’ve been trying so hard to not stress out and just live in the present. I’ve been doing so well at this lately that my stress has all but disappeared. I have my daughter Kelsey to thank for this new point of view, and she can’t even talk yet.

This afternoon while out taking photographs (another hobby I’ve left sorely negelected) at Gasworks park, the very distinct smell of cut grass floated me back to my childhood when I spent the weekend mowing and helping garden. Living in a condo in the middle of a city gives little time or opportunity to experience this. I’ve just been blocking it out without even realizing it.

After dinner I went to a hotshop to watch a beginning class blow glass. They use wood blocks called paddles. The faint scent of slightly burning wood was wafting through the shop like a taunting barbeque just asking you to relish in the wonderful smell.

While there, we stepped out back to grab a quick smoke, and I smelled my favorite smell, one I so rarely get to experience in Seattle (oddly enough). I smelled the rain. Or, more precisely the electricity in the air after a rain. Even though we get so many days of rain here, we rarely get the kind that you can actually smell.

Smells are around me every day, and I just hadn’t been paying attention to them. My new live life stress free attitude has gotten me to stop thinking so much and to just live. Today I realized that it is finally beginning to work.

Life is so sweet when you just take the time to smell it.

I finally got the pleasure to sit down for a dinner with a couple of the Channel 9 crew. Lenn, Charles, and I had a nice meal and some great conversation.

It is so refreshing to see people so committed to evoking change at their company, despite the risks that may come from it. It quickly became quite obvious that these guys and the rest of the team are very serious about this project and the positive implications this has for the image of Microsoft. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a team anywhere have the drive and desire that this team does.

Given time, support, and an objective ear, this project could revolutionize Microsoft . Even greater so, this may well be the new way that companies transact conversation and dialouge with their customers. Others are already starting to follow suit.

My bets are on a positive ending. Microsoft just can’t afford to stop something like this. It’s the start of a new image. It shows they listen, it shows they care, it shows they WANT our business as opposed to EXPECTING it.

Ballmer/Gates et al, This is what the Microsoft customer public has been asking for the past 10 years, don’t take it away.