Skip to main content

Day 24: The Power of Scent‏

As I watched the commercial with Brad Pitt telling me that Chanel No. 5 has been the one thing he could count on through the years (at least I think that's what he meant, I was distracted by the fact that for once he was nice and clean and Angelina and the kids weren't with him), I thought about the perfumes I've worn, or wanted to wear, over the years. There was Heaven Scent, with its baby powder undertones, which was my favorite as a teenager; in college I wanted to be like everyone else and wear Giorgio Beverly Hills but I could never bring myself to pay for a bottle; and I still mourn the loss of Victoria, a scent by Victoria's Secret that for some reason they quit making. 

The scent that triggers the most memories is Sweet Honesty by Avon. The Avon website (I was shocked they still sell it) describes it as "a floral heart blooming with honey, citrus and vanilla. It's the perfect first, and a favorite to hold onto for years." That sums it up for me, the perfect first, and I will always think of my maternal grandmother when I catch a whiff of its honey, citrus and vanilla.

My grandmother did not have a car. I don't know that she ever knew how to drive and when my grandfather died, the car they owned was sold. For almost 20 years, my grandmother rode the bus or walked to wherever she needed to go. A closer shopping option was the Avon lady who lived on the next block. For someone on a fixed income like Grandma, it was a big help to get the 10% discount given by the Avon lady if Grandma would meet her at the back fence to pick up her order. One of the things Grandma always bought me was Sweet Honesty. Every year they came out with some new clever packaging around Christmastime and since my birthday is February, I often received Sweet Honesty in a heart-adorned bottle. As she got older, the bus routes changed and become less convenient for her so her world got smaller but the one thing she could still do was buy Avon from her neighbor. Grandma started buying us Avon jewelry and along with the jewelry, she would give me some Sweet Honesty in the special promotional packaging of the season.

I still have a collection of bottles of Sweet Honesty in my bathroom and every time I see them I think of Grandma. Both of my grandmothers were widows for so many years and their independence and self-efficiency are what I strive for in my life. I will always remember the smell of the perfume and it will always put a smile on my face, not because of its floral heart but because of the heart of the woman who bought it for me.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Minute Friday: Roots

Lisa-Jo Baker (lisajobaker.com) hosts a weekly event on her blog called "Five Minute Friday". The rules are 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.. So here's my first try at this. Today's topic was Roots. Roots – I think about my grandparents who lived on a farm until my grandfather’s diabetes worsened and they moved to a town with a hospital nearby. My father still says he wished he could have kept that farm. I think of my grandmother who was a widow for 20 years. Every year she would stand over my PaPa’s grave, wishing she was with him. I think of my parents, a product of those grandparents, how hard my father worked to put 2 girls through
10 comments
Read more

Five Minute Friday: Time

Five Minute Friday is a writing event that has writers spending five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing them at http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/ . This week's word is Time. Sometimes time feels like this, like we are in it. Standing inside it, watching life pass by. It is so easy to get stuck in a time - in our pain, in our hurt. We hear the ache tick away in our head like a giant clock. Time, instead, is a gift. More time with family, more time to accomplish goals, more time to see the world. When you are hurting, it seems like time takes forever. One day turns into another day, turns into another day. When we hate a job, the five days of time that make up a work week seem to go on forever. But those five days are also a gift. Because these days, a job is not a guarantee. I want to see time as gift, not as a chore. I want to be on the other side of it, wishing there was more of it. Making the most of every hour, minute, and second instead of
6 comments
Read more

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

Mercy, this is a tough one for me. I think that's why I waited until Saturday to do Five Minute Friday. I didn't want to face the topic of mercy. I am thankful everyday for God's tender mercies. The first definition of mercy that came up when I googled the word was compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.  This definitiion is my life in a nutshell. How many times has God extended this to me when I deserved to be turned into a pillar of salt like Lot's wife. How many times have I ignored his laws and his proddings and done exactly what I wanted to do. Every time he forgives me and prospers me. Every. time. I know there are people I should show mercy to. People who have broken my heart into more pieces than I can count. I think that I am showing mercy by keeping my disappointment in silence. In a day and age with social media, I could have told everyone that follows them how they have hurt me but I ha
7 comments
Read more