Use Sense, Not Scents

Tonight I'll leave political events to the politicians (which is probably not a good idea) and dwell on personal matters.

I have a real beef with a large percent of the population. You know who you are. You burn scented candles throughout your home. You spray Febreeze on every available surface. You use scented soap, scented shampoo, scented lotions, scented deodorant. Then you douse yourself with perfume or after shave before leaving the house.

Enough already. Oliver Wendell Holmes said his freedom to extend his arm went so far as the other fellow's nose (or something to that effect). My nose is deeply offended. And it goes beyond that. When I'm exposed to scents my gums bleed, I become tired and irritable, and my face becomes puffy. I also have brain fog and my lymph nodes swell, sometimes painfully. And I'm not alone. The number of people who are sensitive to scents is growing. Some workplaces and schools have banned them. None of the places I go to, unfortunately, have.

You need to be clean. You don't need to smell like a perfume factory. Think about that next time you start dousing your home, your car, and yourself.

Oh, and if we cross paths you will definitely recognize me. I'll be the woman frantically trying to avoid you.