I’ve been struggling to come up with February’s post on
fragrance-free living. My on-going hunt for non-allergy-inducing products
has had an enthusiasm lull. When it dawned on me--I was trying too hard,
that my attitude is just as important as a finding a comfortable product for my skin.
Trying to live fragrance-free is like building a fortress
around yourself...with a moat. It’s a constant struggle that is generally lost, resulting in unpleasant repercussions.
How to allow myself the freedom to gain a fresh perspective?
And have a break from the regimented fragrance-free label I carry around in my
head. I realized I wanted to feel unencumbered by the identity of “sensitive.”
At least for this moment.
I don’t know how to find people who are like me, so I can’t
just call up so-and-so and say let’s go to the mall and buy some shoes. Obstacles
are everywhere: everybody seems to have a dog or insists on dragging their pet
around with them, fragrance spews from puffers, fabrics are treated with all
kinds of problematic things, people don’t seem to get “less is more” when
applying scent or when dumping fabric softener into their washer. All of this
stuff creates health ramifications and anxiety for the scent-sensitive and allergy-prone person
like me.
So I go for a walk in nature. Then get this idea to call an
old friend who I haven’t spoken with for a decade. The last thing I want to do
is explain why I’m not around anymore, so I minimize that part of the
conversation and just listen to his voice. Ask him some questions.
How people make us feel is what we remember and want more
of. His voice reminded me of standing in his kitchen, pulling out the veggie
bin and cooking up what was there; business conversations about what to invest
in; LA before this or that had been built; and Costco has the lowest prices on
generic antihistamines. Oops, allergies crept back in, but what mattered was
hearing another person’s voice, someone I had lost touch with but haven’t
anymore.
My fresh perspective is to let in old friends, which could
pave the road for letting in new friends.
When life’s limitations become overwhelming, take a
perspective break.
Invest in not being alone and make a daily deposit in a
relationship account.
