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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

GratiTuesday: My Nose

My nose is small and has freckles. It has a tiny diamond stud on the right side. It smells things. For this I am grateful.

I spent a day paying attention to the things my nose could smell.

I am grateful for the smells of

::my husband's skin + the clean laundry smell of his t-shirt in the early morning::
::my childen, when I first kiss them in the morning::
:: toast and coffee in my mom's kitchen
::spices of pumpkin pie when I made them in the morning
::turkey dressing: sage, bread, pepper, melted butter
::chainsaw exhaust
::dry leaves, fresh-cut grass, earth in the fall
:: shampoo in the shower + the familiar mildly chlorinated scent of "town" water
::my Body Shoppe carrot facial moisturizer
::the smell of family and friends as I hugged them on Thanksgiving day
:: many food smells: turkey cooking, bacon frying
:: the musty, incensey smell of the choir loft at church
::the smell of old music books
::the cologne on an old, old friend as he hugged me after Mass
::fresh manure: horse, pig, cow
::tea, pie pastry, sour cream, salsa, pear cider
::the sheepy smell of 100% wool, as I enter the final rounds of Jude's Waterhorse Sweater
::my mom's distinctive, personal, and familiar scent as she hugged me goodbye

Smells! Food, familiar places, loved people. I've heard interviews and read accounts of people who have lost their sense of smell; it is an unexpectedly devastating loss. My son has a keen sense of smell; I put lipbalm on in the van the other day, and within seconds, he asked (from the far back), "Why do I smell oranges?" He's always first to notice and identify a smell. A possible future as a sommelier or a chef? Perhaps.

When we got home last night from Thanksgiving at my parents' house, we were greeted by the powerful smell of cat litter. After cleaning the box, I rubbed lavender oil on my hands to pat on our pillows. We drifted off into flower-scented sleep.

An ode to my nose! I am grateful for it.

8 comments:

  1. Hey this is a great list...and funnily enough, I did a mental checklist while reading yours and I enjoy many of the same smells.
    Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

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  2. My sense of smell became very weak after it was hyperacute during my first pregnancy. I do miss it. It's an important sense, as you clearly know and embrace.

    An Od(our) to your nose :P

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  3. So many delicious smells! I love the way my girls smell when they first wake up in the morning. Shira comes into bed for some milk and her head snuggles into mine while we're in bed together. And Alyce rolls out of bed with her hair standing up, eyes half-closed, and gives me a big hug, all with a goofy grin on her face. They smell delicious.

    And yes, we need to give each other moral support. I need these changes so much, for my health and for my sanity. I hope you're recovery week is going well! Is your family eating in a similar way?

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  4. I love your freckled nose. Always have. Always will.

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  5. What a great reminder to pay attention to the business of being alive! Unfortunately I was greeted by a very unpleasant dog generated smell this morning, but I'm hoping it will diminish soon. Your list is much more pleasant!

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  6. I was half exoectinga picture of your nose at the end of the post... :)
    xo

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  7. OK, so that's supposed to say "expecting". Geesh.

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  8. I did Gratituesday this week too!

    http://feetonthegroundandheadintheclouds.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

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