Happy Scents

I read an interesting thread this morning on a forum I frequent. The topic was perfume and favorite scents. It got me thinking of my own personal favorite (and not-so favorite) smells.

First off, I'm not much of a perfume/cologne fan. This is due, at least in part, to my allergies. Most perfumes make me sneeze and my eyes water, and my nose immediately gets all stuffed up so I can't smell anything anyway. I also have eczema on my knees, feet, and wrists so my dermatologist recommended that I only use unscented gentle soaps. So perfume isn't a huge part of my life. I don't mind, because I'm not a big fan of artificial fragrances anyway. There are, however, lots of things in life that I love to smell!

So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorites:

Lavender, sage, basil, (most herbs!), freshly mown grass, ocean air, ripe peaches, citrus-y things (especially limes), pine woods after a rain, apples, spearmint, baking bread, Marco's feathers (he will hold up his wings and let me kiss underneath, and he has a sweet, clean bird smell that's hard to describe), old books, libraries, freshly laundered sheets, honeysuckle, jasmine, burning leaves, tomato foliage, tobacco warehouses where tobacco is being cured (there aren't many of those left these days), suntan lotion, good coffee, popcorn, and some strange things, like fresh paint and gasoline!

I thought it was fascinating to read some of responses on the thread that inspired this blog post. People listed their favorite/least favorite scents in life and it was so incredibly varied! I plan to be more mindful of the scents around me as I move through today....I wonder what I'll notice?