Smell

First, understand that I am supremely thankful for all five of my senses. That said, my sense of smell evokes some of the strongest responses—involuntary and voluntary alike.

Just a whiff is all it takes to evoke a memory, and not just a memory but a crystal clear virtual reality-esque involuntary recollection of the moment. Sometimes it is a person, a vacation, a meal, an event and the rest of my body responds in kind. A relaxing event and I can feel my heart rate slow, a meal and I can feel my mouth start to water… An amorous event and I can feel myself blush. It’s really quite amazing to see how it is all connected.

These days the voluntary response manifests mostly in my consumerism. It stands to reason that a girl so thankful for a sense which evokes such a strong response would be… well… persnickety with when voting with her dollars to purchase scented items. Frankly, second to quality, it is a key measure of my brand loyalty. I could go on and on and have been meaning to write that entry for some time, we’ll save it for another time. Back to thankfulness…

I am thankful for my keen sense of smell and the joy I get from processing the memories and emotions linked to it. I am also thankful for some of companies to which I am brand-loyal that once they get a product to the shelves that sells that they simply leave well enough alone and just let us enjoy.