CWP9 - Scenty Attitude
“Describe what you feel right now using your sense of smell. If you feel frustrated, write about what your frustration smells like. Use vivid words. Don’t skimp on the adjectives.”
I’m feeling hurt, stressed, and anxious. And right now it’s a mix between the smells of assorted spring flowers (undoubtedly someone’s perfume) and Chinese food. General Tso’s Chicken, to be precise. Now, before you go spraying your Chinese takeout with your mom’s perfume, head my warning that the smell confuses you and only makes whatever pain your feeling worse.
Like I stated, I am feeling three different states right now: hurt, stressed, and anxious. I am feeling anxious because it’s nearing the end of my work day and I am ready to sprint for the door once I clock out for the day. After work I am heading to my lady’s house to get a back rub (which I will explain in the coming paragraphs) and catching up on some much needed sleep. This sense of anxiety is coupled mostly with the smell of Chinese food. I am not sure why anxiety is represented by Chinese food, or why my smell receptors inside my nose are playing this strange trick on me. Maybe it is because Chinese food is just a phone call and a five minute drive away? I can get it quickly, and I love my Chinese food so there is always a sense of urgency attributed to dinner time. The smell itself, if you haven’t had General Tso’s chicken, is a spicy smell and its sidekick aroma is MSG; it’s very savory. In the dish, there is always broccoli and hot peppers and rice absorbing all the juices so that when you eat all the chicken and vegetable pieces you are left with a meal in itself of sauced-up rice.
I am also feeling hurt and it’s hard to explain why. It’s not an emotional hurt (sorry mom, no blood on the carpet this evening), but rather a physical pain. It’s on the left hand side of my back right below where your ribcage connect to your spine. It feels like I pulled a muscle. Whenever I am feeling this surge of pain (since it comes and goes) I smell something metallic. It smells like the taste of blood, for those of you who have sucked on your finger after you cut it. My mouth feels like I just got done chewing on a metal fork and little bits of stainless steel are leftover between my teeth and the smell of blood and metal is sweeping up from my lips into my nostrils. -shudders-
And stress. Who isn’t feeling stress these days? I’m stressed about work, my love life, not having anything to do, and how I can get my damn World of Warcraft character up to Level 70 as quickly as possible. That’s a stupid reason to be stressed, but when you have nothing better to do it will eat away at you. The smell that comes to mind when I am feeling the burnout from stress and work is pure, winter air. I think its my body trying to do everything in its power to calm itself, and it remembers the kind of smile I always notice and think about. You know what I am talking about. The smell you sniff when you leave your car when you get home from work and the sun has already gone down and it smells like… Well, I guess it smells like Christmas. It’s a fantastic smell.
