Last weekend, the boyfriend asked me to rank my favorite scents in order. I have no idea how this conversation was even prompted.

I think he was surprised by a few of the (admittedly) ridiculous ones, but I was (am) completely serious:

• Clean, fresh linens (I cannot STAND when clothing smells like you’ve been sitting outside for too long; adding to that: a linen is not fresh if it has been hanging outside. Just saying.)
• Lemons (boyfriend also hates when I put them down the drain… but it’s like a fresh burst of citrus tree!)
• Bleach (no, really; it’s the only way the bathroom is REALLY clean; I relate that smell to cleanliness.)
• Gardenias (I might have forgotten this in my spouting off, but it’s on the list)
• Lavender (I DID remember this one; I currently have a bouquet of dried, smashed lavender in my car… perhaps that’s what started the conversation?)
• Mulling spices (reminds me of Fall and Winter at my grandmother’s making spiced cider)
• New paper (printer paper, greeting cards, a box of new envelopes, journals… not newspapers or books though. They smell dirty. *smirk*)

So random, right?

Aromatherapy is popular for a reason. Your sense of smell is most closely tied to memory, and the smell of a favorite flower or spice or an old boyfriend’s cologne can be mood changing — both positive and negative. I can often be REALLY sensitive to smells (actually, most of my senses are super-heightened), but the fresh and airy scents help me relax.

And the pungent ones put me into cleaning overdrive — ha!