Love the Moment Challenge: Stoping in my Tracks

{photo taken at Spring Bluff Station: Toowoomba}

I had a headache this particular afternoon. A nasty one. I dosed myself on medication and drove to the school to pick up the children. Doors opened. Bags were thrown in first, then the children climbed in on top of each other. All usual stuff.  The familiar banter in the back seat seemed so loud this afternoon and I felt my impatience build inside me like a stove top kettle ready to whistle. The children’s behaviour was normal but everything was irritating me. I could see the hours ahead spiraling out of control and it filled me with dread.

Something stopped me in my tracks. It was fascinating.  I arrived home after the school pick up and I opened the door. Something stopped me. I stopped because the remanence of the scent I had sprayed a couple of hours before hit me as I walked in the door. I stopped for a moment — and this might sound weird — but that hit of scent helped me to remember that I was alive, in the moment. I remembered that my children were here with me and I had choices that could change the way the afternoon unfolded. The scent was a trigger for me; an immediate and positive one. I still had a headache, and I didn’t have a rainbows-and-lollipops afternoon, but I was conscious about my choices and made an effort to be more careful about how I reacted to my children.

Love the Moment: Smell

As I look over many of the Love the Moment Challenges, they focus on many of the obvious senses: touch, sight, sound but there isn’t much on smell. I often forget that smell is a powerful and beautiful (and sometimes not-so-beautiful) thing.  

Using scent in the home is a recent development for me. There are a two main reasons for this. Firstly, I have terrible memories from long ago of using fragrance sprays in the home that remind me of the overpowering public toilet scent (yes, so powerful you know there must be something very bad to mask). Secondly, I’ve been busy surviving the days while I raise small children  and have forgotten how nice it is to burn a scented candle that leaves a just-there smell around the home.

Since I met  international perfumer Junji (back in May) and talked to him about the Ambi Pur Air Effects Range (which I have been using ever since), I’ve made an effort to use scent in the home.  Now use scent daily as a tool to create atmosphere in the home, and as a trigger for myself.

This month, I’m focusing on the sense of smell. I brainstormed some ideas and have listed them below.

Scent in the home

• Spray before I leave the house for an entire day (so I come home to a nice smelling home regardless of what it looks like)
• Spray before I have guests (this makes me feel confident that visitors will feel comfortable in my home)
• Spray before the kids come home from school (so I create a lovely atmosphere for them to come home to plus I hope to build scent memories for them to remember in the future)
• Light a scented candle once a week
• Cut a lemon in half and leave it in the fridge
• Make potpourri sachets with the kids for their drawers
  • Buy small organza bags (used for weddings) from a discount store
  • Stuff with potpourri
  • Tie ribbon at top

Scent as a trigger

I have found this works amazingly well. It’s quite astonishing actually. There are two things I do to use smell as a positive trigger.

One: Spray the house with air freshner before I leave for a day out, and when I come home, the smell reminds me to be in the moment as I walk in the door so I don’t miss the things that are important.

Two: On top of the fridge I keep a scent sachet and every time I walk past it, the smell reminds me to any of these things, depending on the goals I set that day:

• To reassess where I’m at
• To pray for my children/others
• To smile
• To do another small job
• To ring/email/sms a friend

Scent as memories

Scent often conjures up memories for me. I want to capture some of that this month, especially in regards to my Mum who died 5 years ago.  Below are a few things I plan to do:

• Visit the perfume section at a department store and find my Mum’s favourite perfume, Volupte. Spray it on a card and put in on my bedside table.
• While I’m there, see if I can find myself a new perfume after wearing the same on for the last 15 years (no kidding).
• Bake bread. My mum used to bake bread and it’s one of the most beautiful smells in the world!
• Buy fresh flower once this month.
• Buy Imperial Leather Soap (my grandmother used).
• Buy lavender in a pot (reminds me of the lavender my mum had around the clothes line).
• Recreate the Thai food (and blog the recipe) I learned how to cook on my recent scent inspired journey to Thailand

Scent as love

The only thing left of my list is to take some time to notice the little things that give me joy.

• Breathe in the scent of my childrne’s skin after a bath
• Stop to smell a rose (literally)
• Cuddle and nuzzle my husband
• Next time I’m at the beach, take the time to breathe in the smell of freedom
• Make something that smells nice as a gift for a friend. This may be anything from a cake to a candle.

If you want to create your own scent journey this month, brainstorm a list under these categories:

Scent in the home

Scent as a trigger

Scent as memories

Scent as love

It doesn’t matter if you can’t get through it all. I’m putting a star next to the things I really want to do this month. They are:

• find my mum’s perfume
• buy fresh flowers once this month
• make bread
• make potpourri sachets with the kids

Scent Journey jot pad

{click the picture to download the PDF file}

What scent brings back memories for you?

Other Posts

Slow Life Down Without The Need to Be Less Busy

6 Things I Learned in Thailand

I See Colour

Out of the Office: In Thailand

 Love the Moment