The Pollyanna Project: OLFACTORY SCENT-SATION

Last night while out for a ramble with my doggies, they stopped for a sniff, and were enjoying it so much, they refused to budge an inch. En-Ooohh! This was clearly a special tree, so I let them enjoy it. And relish it they sure did, deeply inhaling its fertile roots, and getting higher than the Empire State, as the song goes. Their little noses were glued to the tree - not just ordinary polite sniffing - more like a hallucinatory trance, as their eyes rolled up to heaven in complete and absolute ecstasy.

How easy it is to amuse them I thought to myself. All dogs need to keep them happy are the 3 S's - Snoozing, Snacking and Sniffing! We all enjoy the snoozing and snacking bit, but the big question is - are we sniffing enough? Could aromatherapy do for us happiness seekers, what trees do for our dogs? Is there anything to beat the aroma of freshly baked bread? or frying onions, especially when you're hungry. And sausages and bacon sizzling in the pan on a sunny Saturday morning, hmm...Heaven! And the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Or how about the clean fresh scent of lavender soap after a hot sweaty day at the beach. Inhaling a potpourri of roses on a cold winter's day instantly brings back summer.

The restorative comfort of fragrance is a given. Our sense of smell is our primordial link to our brains. It affects our moods, feelings and emotions. Peppermint aids mental clarity. Lavender sprayed on your pillow before going to bed has a calming affect and aids sleep. I've heard lemon-grass is good for a headache and that rose oil is an aid for depression. A particular favourite book of mine is: 'Easy Steps to Aromatherapy' by Rosalind Widdowson. There are some wonderful suggestions on how to scent up your life.

HAPPINESS TIP FOR THE DAY:

Start sniffing...Book an aromatherapy massage (special treat)...go into your garden (or walk by somebody else's) for instant thrills - roses, lavender, honeysuckle - go with the nose flow! Spend some time discovering exciting new perfumes at the fragrance department, or re-connect with loved ones by spraying a mist of their favourite perfume. If you want to keep them closer to your heart, keep the piece of paper and use it as a book mark! Check out Bath and Body Works - they have a wonderful aromatherapy collection. Ginger for energy, eucalyptus spearmint for stress relief, jasmine vanilla for sensuality and lavender vanilla for sleep.
Gaze at the pictures below and imagine the beautiful perfume from each image.