He smelled like a warm, melted Andes mint. Or maybe like hot cocoa with a splash of crème de menthe.

Either way, it was interesting. And odd. Oddly interesting.

His arm held the elevator open for me, and I got inside. I noticed his parched, scraggly, bleached blonde hair peeking out from underneath a neon-colored baseball cap; lime green and orange, to be exact.

He wore plaid socks and white tennis shoes.

His t-shirt was hot pink and black, with some ‘smile’-something-or-other writing on it.

His knee-length shorts were bright turquoise.

He was of slight build, and was maybe an inch shorter than me. When he spoke, the chocolate mintiness intensified.

“What floor?” he asked softly.

“Three, thank you,” I said. He pushed two for himself, then three for me. The movement of his arm stirred up more chocolate mintiness in our small space. 

“Dude, I was walking inside just now, and I could’ve sworn I felt it sprinkling on my face,” he said slowly.

“Yeah, I think it’s just weird, gloomy summer weather…like, low clouds or fog or mist or something,” I replied.

“Cool, cool,” he said, nodding slowly and processing (I assumed) my statement. The elevator doors opened. He turned, looked at me and had a gentle smile on his face.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah. Right on.”

He exited the elevator and went on his way while I rode it up one more floor. I wasn’t sure what exactly was ‘right on.’

Had he been having a separate dialogue in his head?

Was he pondering the mistiness in the morning air?

Or did he just happen to agree with my overall meteorological assessment?

I watched him walk down the hall as the doors shut, his lime-green, orange, turquoise, black, white, hot pink and plaid person seemingly floating away from me. I was so captivated by the human rainbow who had just departed the elevator that I never got a good read on his shirt. I just remember one word:

“Smile.”

And I did.

Today I am thankful for my interesting, delightfully odd start to the morning, and for the rainbow dude whose mint-chocolate scent and zen-like state of being ushered in the start of a new work-week in one of the most unique ways ever. I’m pretty sure he was there visiting the physical therapy office in our building, but I’m certain the therapists were also about to take note of his aroma-therapy offerings the same way I had.