It's laundry day seven days a week in my house. It seems a never ending chore. I am ever amazed at the endurance of my washer and dryer through the years. I imagine the life of my washer and dryer much like that of a dog. With the burden I place on them, I expect they age at a rate of 10 years plus for every year I have had them. And yet....they carry on. But as always, I find myself sidetracked from my thoughts this morning.....Focus....ahhh the nose.....that's where I wanted to go......
Have you ever wondered why it is that our instincts as humans drive us to do the most inappropriate and insane things some times. I watched my son as he cleaned his room last night, sorting through the clothes on his floor for cleans and dirties (it would be simple if he put the cleans away as laundry is done....but that's another story and he is a 16 year old boy...soooo there is that). As he picked through the pile he occasionally lifted a garment to his nose and sniffed. Clean or Dirty? And I suddenly found myself laughing as I thought about the insanity of the process.
Did he ACTUALLY sniff his own underwear to see if they were clean or dirty? And what rank odor did he discover that resulted in their deposit in the hamper? Socks too, and pants, and shirts. All followed suit! Either clean or dirty. I realized as I watched in that brief moment, that we are a VERY peculiar species.
We sniff the milk carton after its expiration date to see if its spoiled....well duh? Just pore it out. We smell bad meat, and leftovers because the Nose apparently Knows better than our own sense of logic. We step in something and its stuck on the sole of our shoe, and we smell it to decipher its origin (more often than not its dog poo, so lets just assume so moving forward...shall we). Are we hoping that by some miracle that milk survived its lifespan or that mold is removable or that maybe the dog poo is something minty fresh?
Our sense of smell allows us to experience euphoria at the scent of fresh baked cupcakes and cookies. Our mouths water at the scent of garlic and butter. We are buoyed by fresh flowers and newly mowed grass. These scents waft around us and we are soothed.
I guess the Nose Knows good from bad, fresh from rank, but sometimes.....just sometimes, I think it would be better to err on the side of stink and just let it go. No need to smell your own armpit, if in doubt apply deodorant or take a shower. You suspect you have bad breath?...Brush your teeth or eat a mint. I have no intention of smelling dirty underwear, stinky socks, sweaty shirts, and soiled pants. If you put them in the laundry, I'll assume they need washed. I'll take your word for it.
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