“Smells like rain.”
Ever heard someone say that and thought, “What does that even mean?”
Rain does have a smell, and we know it by the name, Petrichor. When rain droplets hit the ground, actinomycetes, a type of bacteria found in soil, secrete a compound called geosmin. This compound is then released into the air. Geosmin in the air can be detected by the human nose at less than 5 parts per trillion.
In fact, that’s on the order of how well dogs can smell, which is a magnitude somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 better than humans.
I get frustrated with my own dog, who can barely go outside without sniffing out every flower, bush, tree, and fire hydrant. It’s not unusual for a simple pee break to take ten minutes or more.
He takes the phrase “stop and smell the roses” to a whole new level.
And yet, when I encounter petrichor, I know exactly how he feels.
Inhale deeply. Exhale slowly.
There’s something beautiful and magical, and maybe even a little scary, about approaching rain. Petrichor inspires storytellers and poets:
This, from Emily Dickinson:
A Drop fell on the Apple Tree –
Another – on the Roof –
A Half a Dozen kissed the Eaves –
And made the Gables laugh –A few went out to help the Brook,
That went to help the Sea –
Myself Conjectured were they Pearls –
What Necklaces could be …
In a world that’s often go, go, go, with no time for breaks or rests, I love the reminder that’s found in petrichor. There’s something in that uniquely earthy scent that grounds us to the earth, to what is sure and real. Petrichor signals our brains to be aware—The rain approaches.
Petrichor and rainbows are the bookends on either side of the pouring rain.
In your own life:
Do you need to linger, pause, or stop to consider an important decision?
Is there something in your life that’s been waiting for “rain” before it can truly grow?
What needs to be washed away in order to make room for something new?
Isabel Bear and RG Thomas, the researchers who first named the scent petrichor, found that as early as the 1960s it was being captured to sell as a scent called "matti ka attar" in Uttar Pradesh, India. They proposed that people are so sensitive to the scent because rain is so closely linked to survival (Just ask Noah!). Nothing triggers memory quite like a familiar scent. If you don’t want to wait for the next summer rain to enjoy the delights of petrichor, you can get it in a bottle right here.