Practices in Smelling: The Past

Me in my backyard in Hamburg, Germany, circa age 5.

Dear Friends,

For those of you who have joined recently, welcome! I’m happy you’re here. Today I’m introducing a new series, “Practices in Smelling,” which aims to inspire and animate you to engage with your sense of smell more.

This week I’ve been reflecting on the past, trying to understand why I’m so obsessed with the smell of apple. Specifically, the smell of that moment when you first bite into the fruit, when the nose is really close to the skin, and then the crunch of the teeth biting through the firm flesh, followed by chewing to release a delectably sweet, bright, deep aroma that envelopes the mouth. It’s pure bliss.

I’m actually obsessed with any true smell of that apple-eating experience. I love applesauce, apple-flavored candy, heck I even use a cleaning spray that has an apple scent just like that.

The scent of apple makes me smile, it calms me down, and lets me know that everything is going to be alright. And, because of that, I’ve recently noticed that I’m unconsciously seeking it out. So, I began exploring how that could be. Where does this passion (obsession even?!) come from?