Making Sense Out of Scents

Smells, I think, may be the last thing on earth to die. ― Fern Schumer Chapman

In my opinion, music and smells are the two most emotion-provoking forces on earth. A song, even just a few notes of a song, can bring me back to an exact moment in my history, whether it be 40 years ago or 40 days ago. Sometimes, I don't even recall the details of the memory, but the emotions of that memory can drop me firmly in the shoes of a child discovering everything, or a college student in 1986, or a heartbroken lover. It defies reason. It is that same powerful way with the smell of the beach.

A lifelong worshipper of the ocean, there is almost nothing in the world that comforts me like the smell of the sea. It has been a long, frigid stretch of winter here in the East, and my visits to the beach at dawn have been limited, so when the snap of warmth set down on my small piece of earth today, I did not hesitate. I somehow inherited an extra 15 minutes this morning, and at a balmy 45 degrees, I barely had my shoes on as I stumbled out the door to watch the sunrise. The sight of my beloved beach soothed the rough edges. But that was nothing compared to the way the moist scent of the sea in the air made me feel.

I am not sure if it is the accumulation of memories, or the wisdom that comes with all of those collected experiences, but the value of that 15 minutes and the opportunity to close my eyes and let the scent inside my head and my heart is priceless. It is every walk I have ever taken in the sand. It is every salty swim in my life. It is all of the hours with the people I love and all of the quiet reflection looking out over the waves. Every single one of those memories, and the sum of all of them together have a smell to them. That was the smell that began my day today.

It is such a small thing. It is such a big thing. The reminder of how lucky we are to be human, with all of the complicated thoughts and emotions, and all of the time spent learning what is important and what ends up having little or negative value. I felt it, stronger than ever today, that feeling that there is so much more good than bad in the world. That I am blessed. That I have choices every single day, and all I have to do is remember to stop and smell the roses (or the ocean in my case.)