What I find most interesting about the sense of smell is its recall capacity. I'm not sure if that is the case for everyone, but for me, my sense of smell is probably the strongest of my senses when it comes to the connection to my memory. Sometimes I will smell something I haven't smelled in years, and I will instantly recall the time and place from which that smell came. A close one to my heart is the smell of Khao San Road in Bangkok. The smell of petrol fumes from scooters, combined with street vendors selling an assortment of foods, as well as, to be honest, somewhat of a sewage-type smell. But when I smell that smell, it warms my soul and takes me to a place and moment in time that I will always return to.

Senses are just a collection of human tools we have in our arsenal, and very often taken for granted. However, all of our senses are automated and tuned to allow us to operate specific to our environment. What I find amazing, however, is when we choose to use these tools to enhance a moment or choose to investigate something in added detail, that the automated tool becomes manual, and we adjust the intensity of the sense to project said investigation. Like when we "stop and smell the roses." When we pass by a beautifully smelling plant or collection of flowers, we may enjoy a brief whiff of the beautiful smell by chance.

However, if we stop and choose to consciously embrace that smell and give one or all of those flowers an opportunity to express the beautiful perfume odour that they emit, then we have an opportunity to enjoy a connection to something magical in wonder by just allowing time for ourselves to focus, stop in the moment, and enjoy.

If we can learn to distinguish between a passing wind and a beautiful fragrance, can we learn to break down elements into more specific details and learn to embrace these things akin a deeper more meaningful way, and if we can do that, I think we can find success in the search for happiness.

“The beauty of fragrance is that it speaks to your heart, … and hopefully someone else’s.” – Elizabeth Taylor

Thanks,

Dean