Love in a perfume bottle

A recent article details the love a woman's father had for her mother in buying her what he considered a luxury, Royall Lyme Toilet Lotion. Along with the gift came the admonition to use it sparingly, only for special occasions. Her mother appreciated the gift, and the author watched the level of the bottle, hoping her mother had special occasions, whatever they might be. After her mother's death, the now-empty-after-a-lifetime bottle sits in a place of honor in her own house. She writes:

I'm sure if he could rewind time, my father would tell my mother to splash some scent on every day, to sprinkle it on her pillow at night, to bathe in it if she felt like it. He'd tell her that every minute she breathes is a special occasion.

The green bottle on my shelf reminds me of this every day.

I hear her. I loved when my mother wore fragrance, and I loved what she wore.

For me, scent is more than something to be taken down on occasion. The word necessity seems too barren and frugal. I wear perfume for my own good, to make me happier. I wear it close to the skin, for the most part, a kind of personal aura.

Perhaps I should wear more so that I get more comments, but my sillage only lasts for a bit. Partly this is in deference to those, like me, who dislike some fragrances, and this allows me to layer up as the day goes on, so that I usually wear several compatible scents in a given day.

I've pretty much been bored with one fragrance ever since I felt the necessity to finish a bottle before buying another. Would that I still had my vintage Rive Gauche! It would still be perfect -- most of mine are out of sunlight and kept cool. Now, I buy what I like and wear it as frequently or infrequently as I'm led. It makes me happy just to have them around for choices.

It might be something that will lift my mood; or it might be something that enhances my mood. I like to tweak my thoughts with scent. Taking a whiff of my wrist is a moment away. I don't need a 15 minute break.

Scent is a reminder to treat myself well, to be loving to myself, not to put myself or my needs last, which is easy to do with a busy family and work life, but to make an effort to live an abundant life moment by moment. It helps me make every moment a small celebration.

Wearing scent is closer to my heart, something I'm not dependent on others for, compared to having tea with a friend, a massage, a manicure or pedicure. Even if done on a regular basis, they aren't daily. I need the dailiness of living abundantly and treating myself well.

After all, I'm worth it. And so are you.

What functions for you in the way that wearing scent does for me? What do you do to feel abundance in your life? Do you feel the same about perfumes? Or is your necessity something else? And what is your reasoning?

Karin

Originally posted 2008-09-27 11:41:46.

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