My nose is a poser

My sense of smell is sooooooooo bad that it's basically non-existent. In my 30 years of life i can count the number of things i have smelt on one hand and i basically needed to inhale all these substances for my olfactory system to kick into gear in order for my brain to register i was actually smelling something. (Inhaling Tiger Balm? Been there, done that - finally smelt it once it was basically in my nostrils.) When I was young I used to ask my family how they smelled things because I was really at a loss. This always confused them because they didn't understand how I could not smell nor could they give me an explanation beyond "You bring your nose to it...and just...breathe in?" and this always confused me because I did everything they said they did but I still couldn't smell. I think my dad eventually gave up and he ended up telling me that I would "grow into it." Aww, bless.

My first whiff of anything came during grade 8 science class. Our teacher was teaching us how to waft and passed around a jar of "clear mystery liquid" for us to practice with the instruction to only waft the smell because the scent of the liquid was so strong. Waft?! PFFT. I stuck my nose on top of the jar opening and inhaled that sucker. A nice big deep breath. My blatant disregard for instruction paid off - for the first time ever, my olfactory system started firing and the scent of white vinegar filled my nose. You have no idea how excited this made me. Unfortunately my smelling experiences have been few and (very) far between since. Oh well.

I used to wish I could smell, that it was as easy as simply "growing into it", but now I resigned to the fact that my nose is basically decorative and have even embraced my lack-of smell in some circumstances (such a blessing during my first trimester). Despite this, I'm so intrigued by this whole olfaction thing. When my husband cooks and randomly adds in spices purely based on smell, I think it's one of the best things ever. When my sister graciously agrees to smelling a plethora of soaps or lotions so I don't end up buying something that will make me smell like a granny, I think it's one of the best things ever.  Sure, I don't get how the whole olfaction thing works, but I think it's amazing all the same. And it really is.

p.s. I really hope K doesn't pull something like this otherwise I'm in trouble. Good thing hubby can smell. :P