Losing the sense of smell is terrifying. Since childhood, my nose and my intellect have paired together scents at a rate that always shocked my peers. For example, I could name a perfume from a quick sniff. My nasal detective abilities amused me and at times would annoy me. The whiff of peanut butter on my husband’s breath would send me into a wild confusion of smelling hints of cigarette. The waft of a freshly pushed fart would linger far longer in my olfactory nerves than most.
The power of the olfactory sensations is omniscient. Scents are memories. I remind myself to spend some more time diving into the research of the neuropathic conduction of the olfactory nerves as it pertains to learning. Growing my infantile knowledge of the neurological connections of scents and its connection to behaviors is a goal of mine. This curiosity was born after the sudden arrest to my olfactory nerve a month ago.
COVID-19 attacked my ability to smell and taste about a month ago. In pure denial, I ran to the cabinets reaching for herbs and to my collection of essential oils. Surely I’d smell the intense cinnamon or the refreshing eucalytpus. NOTHING! This torture carried on for a few weeks. Feverishly I researched what I could do to restore the glory of scent and taste. My poor nerves were frazzled and my emotional well-being suffered. This nasty virus has affected my olfactory nerve. Tapping away at the computer, I discoverehat smell therapy could attribute to a better recovery. I nosied around . I’m not sure which was first, but I know that smelling those oils and thinking deeply about what I remembered they smelled like helped me cope. I truly believe it helped me smell again.
Currently a month later after diagnosis of COVID-19, my olfactory nerves seems to be functioning better. While coping with other issues like inflammation and heart issues, I have been enjoying the lovely gift of tea and rest. My husband gifted me a trial package of August Uncommon teas. The strong smells and taste of different aromatic teas has delighted me in the rebirth of my senses. As any busy brain would do, I spent some time perusing their site to learn more about the company. In full disclosure, I wanted to make sure, before ordering another bundle, that I wasn’t paying for mulch dressed up with fake materials. It turns out the founders are interesting.
This brings me to the inspiration for my writing on this day. While perusing the August Uncommon website, I learned the Gina Zupsich, the co-founder of the company, has a beautiful blog called Olfactive. Is this not a crazy coincidence that my handsome husband’s Christmas gift to me entails all the exciting new journals to enjoy while on my journey to healing? So excuse me while I dive deeply into this material and flourish my mind.
