Do you know how many nasty smells I had to put up with as a child? Number one of course was cigarette smoke. It was several years after becoming an adult that I realized cigarette smoke wasn't a naturally occurring part of life. My grandmother smoked; my parents smoked, the baby-sitter and even my great- grandmother smoked. People smoked on buses, in elevators, trains, planes, automobiles, in bed, in the morning, at night...One of my fondest childhood memories was waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the soft red glow of my granny's cigarette. She was sitting in her rocking chair and I felt comforted by the motion of the little red light rocking back and forth.
Now that I know better I feel uppity if I have to walk past a smoker on my way to or from anywhere. Eww!! How disgusting that I have to sniff a bit of cigarette smoke and that it might linger on me for hours afterward!! How easily I forget that I was once one of "them" but I didn't have any boundaries to worry about back then.
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Recently, I went to an art class for the first time. On my way through the door I noticed a little sign that said "this is a scent free environment...thank you for your consideration".
Well that's just great, I muttered. What do I do now??!! I don't douse myself with strong smelling perfume but I do use a little. I immediately went to the washroom and tried to rub any trace of scent off my wrists and then, feeling sheepish, I slithered into the studio to the far back corner, hoping no one would notice me or my scent. A short while later the instructor announced that one of the people in the class had to leave because someone was wearing perfume. I ducked deeper into my hoody but then I noticed another woman closer to the front of the class who was turning a bit red and looking as sheepish as I was. Hmm...so I'm not the only idiot in the room.
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