Sense and sense ability

That's the title (love the name!) of yet another interesting article I read on BBC today.

It speaks of our sense of smell, in particular it addresses the issue of people who have lost their sense of smell.

Now that I think about it, of all our other senses, our sense of smell receives the least spotlight. I mean, the few times during our childhood when electricity was cut off and we stumbled our way to get the candles ensured we appreciate the blessing of eyesight. We can't imagine a world without the sounds and see firsthand (in the case of aging relatives) how loss of hearing can make a person's life (and people around them) annoyingly inconvenient. And we wouldn't trade our sense of touch for the world....
Yet rarely do we stop to appreciate our sense of smell. We completely take it for granted, we don't pause, ponder or show gratitude and thankfulness.

As a matter of fact, after reading the article, I'm convinced we don't even realise its true impact on our lives. I guess it's one of those things you don't appreciate till you lose. Which is a shame really.

Can you imagine your life without the sense of smell?
I won't even touch upon the dangers associated with such a loss (not being able to smell leaking gas? Fire?). Instead, lets focus on the things that give our life that extra spice and flavor. Things we'll miss out on.

Can you imagine getting a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and not being able to take a whiff of their freshness? Not being able to smell that fresh batch of cookies?
Keeping in mind that smell and taste are interlinked, can you imagine having all food taste the exact same: bland and tasteless. Broccoli or chocolate pudding- would it really make a difference? How many times did a subtle smell send you reminiscing about old times long gone?

One of the things I love most about my home in Amman, is how I'm greeted by the intoxicating yet gentle scent of Jasmine growing over our gate. I can't imagine stepping in and not feeling that..
I have vivid childhood memories of my grandma going out to the garden each morning to pick the not yet open Jasmine buds, to put on a small plate with a few droplets of water and leave it by her bedside. Later they would open and give her room a permanent aroma that makes you feel you're in a garden. I miss that smell.

Right after I read the article I started noticing how much we unconsciously refer to smells in our daily conversations.
"mmmm, something smells so good".
"What's that smell?"
"Open the windows or the whole house will smell like frying oil".
"Wow.. did you smell her perfume?"

I, myself, rely heavily on my sense of smell when presented with new kinds of food. I'm very finicky when it comes to trying out something I don't know. So I shamelessly (completely deaf to my mom's scandalized look as she tells me it's rude to do so) sniff it out and accordingly decide if it's a yay or a nay.

So next time people tell you to wake up and smell the coffee, go ahead and do that. And while you're at it, stop and smell the roses. But most importantly, savor the experience, and be thankful that you can. Be very thankful.

So... what are your favorite scents?