Who Needs Aroma Therapy?
by Claude Edwards
Generally, people are taught that there are five physical senses, although they may not all be present or utilized equally. Before I began losing my vision to glaucoma, I enjoyed the experience of encountering different smells wherever I went, which was typically outdoors. Being aware of, and sensitive to, the presence of different smells of ordinary things has long delighted me. It has helped raise my spirits and lift my mood, which is what aroma therapy is all about!
As a lifelong nature lover, I learned about many kinds of plants that had aromatic bark, foliage and flowers that were at once distinctive and distinguishable by what they smelled like. I am entertained to notice aromas associated with places, such as markets, department stores, cafés, restaurants and bakeries. I enjoy aromas associated with certain times of the year, such as the holiday season. Each of these generates its own characteristic aroma that we all recognize and appreciate, at least most of the time.
I get excited thinking about natural places in our region which have their own distinctive aromas: the smell of salty water, crashing waves and seaweed along our ocean coasts, our wild canyons full of pungent shrubs, such as laurel sumac, California sagebrush and black sage. Our native grasslands, especially in the summer, when the fragrance of late-blooming tarplants is most noticeable, our mountaintop forests with oak and pine trees sweetening the air, and even the desert, recognizable when one smells the oily odor of the creosote bush. These always make me happy.
Take a moment to reflect on the aromas that cheer you up and make you smile: Talcum powder, a cup of coffee, popcorn, hot cinnamon rolls, a bouquet of roses, fresh-cut grass, sizzling bacon, a Christmas tree, hot cocoa, jasmine blossoms, cheeseburgers and fries, your favorite pillow case fresh from the dryer, a fresh-cut lemon, Thanksgiving dinner, a crackling fire on a chilly day, chicken soup, the air after a rainstorm, pepperoni pizza, fried chicken, or even the comforting smell of your guide dog, if you have one.