It's The Little Things

Losing one’s senses is an odd and peculiar experience. Again, I go back to things we take for granted. Our senses fit into the category of things we underappreciate. After almost two weeks, finally, this morning, I was able to smell the faintest hint of something. Now mind you, it is never anything good. It couldn’t be my Comfort and Joy soap, fresh cinnamon rolls, or even fabric softener. No, I walked into the bathroom, where we have our large clawfoot tub, and smelled stale cigar smoke. Trust me, after twenty years of sharing a bathroom with The Bibbed Wonder, I know I could have smelled something much worse. However, stale cigar smoke came wafting across my nose and broke through whatever barrier the virus created.

The Bibbed Wonder is not allowed to smoke in the house under normal circumstances. Smoking in the house has never been an issue because he understands it is a gross, dirty habit that could negatively impact our health and well-being. He also grew up with GramBarb, who would never allow such shenanigans in her home. However, our downstairs bath sits off by itself. This is the bathroom that is used when anyone is sick. It is the warmest room in the house. It has an old, large clawfoot tub, and it has a large window that looks out over the backyard. It is a lovely room in which not to feel well. We all gravitate to the soaking tub when we are sick. Whether it is a migraine, aches and pains, a fever, or an upset stomach, a nice long soak seems to make us feel better.

For whatever reason, Eric has a practice that seems to work for him. When he feels an illness coming on, he drinks hot toddies to the brink of making himself sick. He takes long hot bathes, smokes little cigars, and sleeps. He says he creates such a toxic environment in his body that the germs happily leave his system. I think he is not wrong. As I sat looking at his feverish eyes and body shaking from fever-related chills, I agreed to let him smoke in the downstairs bath. He opened a window and smoked and soaked the germs away. When he got up the following day, his fever was significantly reduced, he didn’t have body aches, and he felt greatly improved. I wish I had his immune system.

When my sense of smell was affected, I didn’t regret permitting him to smoke in the bathroom. However, now that my sense of smell is slowly returning, it is the stale cigar smoke I detected hanging out in my downstairs bath, and it’s gross. I know it will be easily remedied by spraying some Fabreeze and opening the window wide to let in the fresh air. I must admit, I have never been so pleased to smell stale cigar smoke as I was this morning. Slowly but surely, my senses are returning, and soon all will be right in my world. After the lack of ability to smell, I have a new appreciation for my senses.

The sense of smell dramatically enhances one’s life. It brings with it emotions and reactions we take for granted. When we smell something pleasant and wonderful, it emits an emotional response that can’t be mimicked. It also brings us closer together. For example, the smell of shrimp that has spent too long in the refrigerator creates a bond that can’t be falsified. One’s response of, “Oh my God, this smells awful! Smell this! Have you ever smelled anything so disgusting?” Creates a shared experience that can’t be replicated. I miss those little moments. Sigh. I just have to take for granted I am missing out on THE grossest thing ever. It’s the little things that bring us closer.

The return of my senses can’t happen soon enough. My lacking ability to smell also affects my business. I can’t trust The Bibbed Wonder to create new scents for the upcoming spring season. We would have products that smell like wood smoke, Barbeque, and stale cigars. That’s not acceptable in anyone’s world but his and a handful of other men. I trust my bean’s nose, but she tends to gravitate toward sweet scents, and it can’t all be sugar floss and chocolate. No, I will not take my sense of smell and my extra-large nostrils for granted again.

As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, don’t take your senses for granted, and keep washing your hands.