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scents and sensibility
Jul. 10th, 2010 09:04 pmOnce, when I was talking to my doctor about how hard it is for me to give up sugar -- (I think two weeks has been the longest ever, and some astounding apple cake trumped that) -- he asked, almost apologetically -- his expression saying I know this sounds silly, but might there not be something in it? -- "Have you thought about other ways you could bring sweetness into your life?" You will believe me when I tell you that he wears hoop earrings and is absurdly sensitive and kind, and his wife is a TCM doctor.
I thought about that afterwards, and have thought about it since, and I have not been able to think of a way. Not that there aren't things that give sweetness in their own way -- garden clotted with flowers, making art with thick rag paper -- but not that particular sensory delight, taking something in, being inhabited by its texture and its chemistry. A very hot day in a herb garden, or among roses, when the smell becomes very heavy, is an almost tactile pleasure. That is the closest thing I can think of.
About a month ago, someone In The Program -- a mad collector of delightful things (turquoise glass, old autograph books) -- mentioned on FB that she had a few hundred vials of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scents to get rid of. I've always been curious about BPAL, which I think I originally heard about through LJ posts. I was fascinated by the intricate rituals of application and inhalation. I got her to loan me a handful. Then I got her to loan me several dozen so I could invite people over to have a sniffing party.
I am sitting here now typing, and my left wrist smells like (sniff) strawberry sugar*? And my right wrist smells like (sniff) watermelon soap bubbles*? And the crook of my left elbow like a tea in a graveyard*. And it all seems very sweet, in every sense.
{rf}
*Plastic Pink Flamingo
*Lawn Gnome
I thought about that afterwards, and have thought about it since, and I have not been able to think of a way. Not that there aren't things that give sweetness in their own way -- garden clotted with flowers, making art with thick rag paper -- but not that particular sensory delight, taking something in, being inhabited by its texture and its chemistry. A very hot day in a herb garden, or among roses, when the smell becomes very heavy, is an almost tactile pleasure. That is the closest thing I can think of.
About a month ago, someone In The Program -- a mad collector of delightful things (turquoise glass, old autograph books) -- mentioned on FB that she had a few hundred vials of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scents to get rid of. I've always been curious about BPAL, which I think I originally heard about through LJ posts. I was fascinated by the intricate rituals of application and inhalation. I got her to loan me a handful. Then I got her to loan me several dozen so I could invite people over to have a sniffing party.
I am sitting here now typing, and my left wrist smells like (sniff) strawberry sugar*? And my right wrist smells like (sniff) watermelon soap bubbles*? And the crook of my left elbow like a tea in a graveyard*. And it all seems very sweet, in every sense.
{rf}
*Plastic Pink Flamingo
*Lawn Gnome
