From The Storyteller
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January 14, 2019 New
The plastic lid comes off and the foil covering the new two pound container filled with ground coffee is about to be peeled back. If you have ever opened a new container of coffee, you know the pleasant aroma I am about to experience. I remove the foil, and I am not disappointed. It is a particular smell, and I am told it is like a perfume that it is added after the coffee is in the container. Unfortunately, all we get is one brief whiff per container. It has been a few years since I bought a new car so I had not experienced the “New Car Smell” in a while. Then a good friend gave a ride in his brand new car, and the instant I got in I recognized the “New Car Smell”. I’ve been told you can now buy a spray that adds that smell to any car. These smells, and millions of others, create unspoken anticipations and connections. When I smell fresh hot brownies, or fresh baked bread, I’m hooked without as much as a word. While some of them are good and some not so good, they happen without us even thinking about them. The thing that amazes me is the power the sense of smell has to instantaneously carry me back 50 years to “Mom’s turkey dressing”. I chose “New” for this story’s title because, even though my nose has 70+ years of aroma practice, this week was the first time I stopped to marvel at this great gift. This also made me aware of how easy it has been for me to get caught up in day-to-day living, and overlook so much of the amazing creation I’m a part of. I’m going to practice doing “New” more. Moral: Life is right under your nose. |