poetree_n_motion
Cathlete
Laura - Great post. I read it awhile ago - then DS and his buddy HAD to get on youtube before I could write back. That was ok - had time to think about some of what you'd written. I ENTIRELY believe what you said about scent and its link to memory. I’ve experienced it first hand a few times. After my mom died and I was going through her things, there was a scent to some of the boxes - it was actually like having emotional, even visual flashbacks on a very gut level I couldn‘t put into words - even for myself. I’ve had some really positive experiences with scents like that too. You used the word symphony. That’s a good analogy. Scent is a lot like music - communicates on a level words can’t always reach. Words can get hung up in our intellect too much among other things, I suspect. I think music gets to - unlocks emotions and feelings on a more immediate level. I’ve always been pretty aware of that. It can effect mood in a positive or negative way. And how that works varies from person to person (taste is so subjective and involves so many things), though some music is probably pretty universal in its effect. A funeral dirge is a funeral dirge, huh? On a less obvious level (to me - at least until now) scent does the same thing, right? I’ve just not been conscious of it. I tend to light candles and incense a lot - they do effect how I feel - if even subtly. Also when DS was sick this winter, I washed his sheets a lot - responding to that sick smell - almost felt like it would help him get well faster if his room didn’t smell like he was sick. You explained a lot of things that I really didn’t know or hadn’t put careful thought into. For example, I had no idea you needed to wear a scent for a full day to get to know it (so to speak), or that it morphed through stages. This is all such cool information. Btw, I can also relate to your history with severe depression and addiction. We have a parallel there. I’m certainly in a better place than I was. A blessing in disguise maybe (though I don't always see it that way), as it backed me into a corner to come to terms (as best I could) with some things. Depression is hard to get on top of - the word gets over-used sometimes I think. If you really have the illness it’s hard to explain to someone else unless they know first hand. I’ve found tools or anchors to help - they tend to be things I’m passionate about - and I can HEAR - almost FEEL yours. You communicate it in a very accessible way. No wonder customer’s come back and ask for you. I would - commute’s pretty daunting though 
Not everyone has that (passion) - it’s really cool to run across people that are really in love and excited about certain aspects of life - even as that same life can feel so painful sometimes. Interesting - a lot of passionate people - artists of different sorts (don’t think it matters so much whether their medium is music or words or scent, fragrance and cosmetics) seem to struggle with depression and/or addiction. Having been there I guess that’s not really a surprise- tumultuous personalities - complicated - but also some of the most interesting, cool peeps there are, imo. So again, thank you for sharing. You gave me a lot to think about
Not everyone has that (passion) - it’s really cool to run across people that are really in love and excited about certain aspects of life - even as that same life can feel so painful sometimes. Interesting - a lot of passionate people - artists of different sorts (don’t think it matters so much whether their medium is music or words or scent, fragrance and cosmetics) seem to struggle with depression and/or addiction. Having been there I guess that’s not really a surprise- tumultuous personalities - complicated - but also some of the most interesting, cool peeps there are, imo. So again, thank you for sharing. You gave me a lot to think about