Re: Contest -- My contribution

[Guest guest]

A Day in the Life of a Nose.

The nose, by habit, awakes shortly before I do … filtering to my brain,

information about my surroundings before ever I open my eyes to greet the

day. The man who shares my life is a diabetic and, often, the first thing I

become aware of upon returning from slumber is to what degree the

sticky-sweet scent of ketosis hangs about his form; exuding from his pores

and exhaled upon his breath. By the time I open my eyes, I have already

assessed how badly his system is depleted for glucose and am formulating

what I need to put together for breakfast to counteract this.

Stumbling out of bed I make my way to the bathroom … inhale at the door,

does the cat box need changing? Deal with what needs to be taken care of and

off to the kitchen, to start breakfast. Trusting to my nose to inform me if

the milk is still good, as it is approaching the expiry date and no-one

wants to have its sour flavour in their mouth first thing in the morning.

Relaxing to the fragrant aroma breakfast as it cooks on the stove, listening

as my partner stirs … his brain returning to consciousness in response to

the signals that his nose has been sending and his stomach's response to it.

Heading out for school can be a little nerve wracking … I make sure to have

my aromatherapy asthma blend and my ventalin inhaler handy, stashed away

into the most accessible outer pockets of my bag. From the moment I take my

first breath of crisp morning air, carrying with it a hint of what the

neighbours might be breakfasting upon, my apprehension mounts. I am one of

those individuals for whom synthetic fragrances pose a danger. There is just

something about it that makes it exceedingly difficult to expel the air from

my lungs … almost as though the artificial scent molecules somehow bind

themselves to either my O2 or the alveoli of my lungs … a couple of deep

breaths and I may end up in the hospital, or worse.

I rely heavily on the sensitivity of my proboscis to warn me as to the

presence of these synthetic perfumes, and experience has trained me to react

immediately when it detects the tell-tale aromatic " flavour " at the back of

my throat as I invariably encounter the individual who opted to marinate

themselves in perfume/cologne/etc., rather than bathe this morning (or

simply is so deluded as to think that wearing so much artificial scent that

he or she leaves a vapour trail and causes people's eyes to water as they

pass, is appealing or attractive).

My first line of defence is the aromatherapy blend of essential oils in

combination with carefully monitored rhythmic breathing exercises, often

quite effective at shifting the elephant that is attempting to sit on my

chest … if my schnozz has not let me down (or I was not too distracted to

notice the warning signs). I far prefer this course of action, as it is one

that stresses me the least … my chemical inhaler (neo-salbutamol, a generic

ventalin variant) does work to open my airways when used, however it is also

an adreno-stimulant which kicks my system into a fight-or-flight response

and, having a hypersensitivity to adrenaline (auto-immune issue), it also

can make me quite ill.

Navigating public transit, I make my way to my destination bathed in the

commingled aroma of BO, various cloying perfumes (ick!), and vehicle exhaust

fumes. I walk past the gas station near my school and pick up the unpleasant

aroma of gasoline and I wonder yet again, as I make note of the rise in my

level of irritability, if anyone has ever made a study of the effects of

gasoline scent/fumes on road rage. I hold a belief that there is a direct

correlation between the two.

I navigate my way home again in the evening, stressed out from the day and

the course-load that I am labouring under as a mature student. I light a

diffuser before getting my homework done, adding essential oils which

generate a soothing scent and aid with my mental focus. My gentle man gets

home and, once again, my nose is gauging his level of glucose depletion and

what it tells me determines both how quickly and what I prepare for supper.

Before bed, I light the diffuser, add oils which support a restful slumber

and snuggle down with my sweetheart … drifting off to sleep, with the scent

of him wordlessly reassuring me that all will be well and that I really can

get up and do it all again tomorrow.

--

_________________

Slán,

Medb

--------O

~ Go dtugtar breith orainn dá réir ár ngníomhartha. ~

[Guest guest]

Hi

I've started a folder for Comp entries in the mod group and put this one in it.

May be after Jan 1st we should announce a closing date?

LLx

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Medb an Damhán <damhan@...>

Date: 29-Dec-2006 21:03

Subject: Re: Contest -- My contribution

A Day in the Life of a Nose.

The nose, by habit, awakes shortly before I do … filtering to my brain,

information about my surroundings before ever I open my eyes to greet the

day. The man who shares my life is a diabetic and, often, the first thing I

become aware of upon returning from slumber is to what degree the

sticky-sweet scent of ketosis hangs about his form; exuding from his pores

and exhaled upon his breath. By the time I open my eyes, I have already

assessed how badly his system is depleted for glucose and am formulating

what I need to put together for breakfast to counteract this.

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi

> I've started a folder for Comp entries in the mod group and put this

one in it.

> May be after Jan 1st we should announce a closing date?

> LLx

>

>

Hi Liz, I have finished writing, where would you like me to put it? I

don't see the folder, and I think it's way too long to post to messages.

I tried to shorten it, but a day.... maybe I should have described an

hour <grin>

Thanks, ne