an exotic minty high

 There’s such a difference between the smell of mint

and the taste of mint.

We’ve all grown up tasting mint.  It’s in gum. It’s in ice cream. Those are the top two really.  And yes, smelling is a big part of tasting.

But smelling it

without tasting it

is like magic.

I never believe the way Bath&Body advertises their scents…to be stress free, to be calming, to help you sleep.

I guess I just thought that I would rely too heavily on the label and in the end the scent would not work.

But about 2 weeks ago, I lit a mint candle from Yankee Candle.  It felt amazing. I felt so relaxed, peaceful, a little high. Content.

I will admit, I lit it in the late evenings both times.

One day I lit it during the day while I cleaned.  I figured I liked the smell so much, it could be lit any time.

It’s different during the day. Maybe it’s because during the day I should be full of energy.  I don’t know. But lighting that candle during the day smelt wrong.  I substituted it with something more flowery.

Tonight I felt interesting.  No candles tonight.  But I used this mint eucalyptus body cream I got from Bath&Body.  It says "stress relief" in big white obvious letters across the top, but it wasn’t that that attracted me.  I now knew that I loved the smell of mint when the moment is right.

My feet feel rough lately. I haven’t been taking care of them as much. Lack of time. Lack of energy. Lack of care.

So I used this mint and eucalyptus.

It’s like I rubbed that Yankee Candle on my feet. It soaked in.  Through the roughest skin, it reached my blood.

My nose inhaled heaven.

And I watched "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," a British film about old people getting older, basically, and trying to forget their age through various experiences.  I had no idea what the movie was about until I watched it.

Something about the mint on my feet

And the Indian music in the background

put me in this

exotic minty high