» olfaction

Feel Good Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

Olfaction.
AKA your sense of smell. Obviously very important to taste, but also important to nostalgia and strong memories. It's amazing what the plasticity scent of Play-Doh can do to someone, reminding us of childhood and those hours spent building spaghetti monsters. Or the smell of a cologne or perfume that reminds us of someone we care about. Or chocolate chip cookies baking during Christmas time. Whatever the scent and wherever the scent, it has a strong relationship to our memories.

Now I, on the other hand, have a terrible sense of smell. Like, I seriously wonder if I have a problem.

Last fall, when I was student teaching, my co-op said one day, "Ew do you smell that?!" -- No, she wasn't referring to me, but something was rancid near the sink on the other side of the room. We walked over to figure out what it was and there was mold growing in the floor drain. (OK, I know, NOT healthy for schools, but it was taken care of immediately!) I didn't smell anything until I was right on top of it, and even then it was only a whiff. In cases like this, I am very fortunate to have a terrible olfactory system.

Sometimes I do get to smell here and there, for instance, I have a vanilla reed diffuser in my room that I catch a hint of every so often. It only happens once, and then it goes away. I blame this either on my nose or that it's off brand and cheap, either way, the quick scent of vanilla is enjoyable.

The perfume I use is Angel- it comes in a little blue crystal star, very appealing packaging I dare say. I only got into wearing this (and I don't wear it often because I forget to) because my dad's nose is the COMPLETE opposite of mine, he's able to smell everything! So, in my house, we're not allowed to use candles or wear cheap perfume because it'll bother his allergies. It's definitely understandable but I do wish my mom and I could light a candle or two just for aroma and ambiance.

So, smells. What made me talk about this? Well, I decided to curl my hair for work today and my account manager told me I "smelled fuity today."

Fruity?

Really?

So I told him, "Hey what if I told you YOU smelled fruity?!"

It would be taken a totally different direction. But I just explained that it was my hairspray (Aussie & Herbal Essence..) -- both very good scents but after they're in my hair, I can't smell them! I'm putting my hair up to my nose right now and hardly anything! But as long as someone else can enjoy the scents around, I can at least appreciate that.

The good thing about smells are- whether a good odor or a bad odor-- they cause you to think of something. You relate the scent to what it actually is or what memory you have of it. Smells allow us to remember, reminisce, retain and recall information.

Looking on the Brightside: Although I sometimes wish I had a better sense of smell, I'm pretty fortunate when it comes to foul instances :)