Craving the Supernatural

Corny title? Not if you're Marco, a Kynigos--a hunter who has heightened olfactory senses. Did you ever hear the phrase, "he can smell fear"? Well, I took that to task and that's exactly what Marco can do. And that got me wondering...what if he could smell every emotion and through them, determine what danger lurked in masked faces. See, only God can judge the heart, so I tried to stay within biblical boundaries and away from divination. With this, I stay eau-natural. :-D

My point? What kind of scent are you creating? On the 16th of this month, my husband's grandmother died. Clara Robbie Robertson Kendig was probably the most godly woman I've ever encountered. Grandma Kendig showed me the first taste of unconditional love the day she met me for the first time--BEFORE I married her grandson--and embraced me as if I were a long lost relative, then announced, "I shore luv you, honey!" Burying her was NOT easy for the Kendig Family, she was the pillar of the family. Everyone loved Grandma Kendig. If you met her, you'd love her. I mean, consider the fact that even her postman attended her funeral. The environment she lived in was populated by people who GENUINELY cared. It's a world that is rapidly disappearing. And it really got me thinking about my life, my genuineness, my openness toward others...my SCENT in life.

Think about it for a second--Scents reveal so much to us. If you walk into a sewer, the scent that greets you is most likely going to tell you to turn and go back. Ocean air is invigorating, to some poor tortured souls (Sorry, Robin--I do love you!) the smell of bleach is pleasing (which I can understand--cuz it smells CLEAN LOL). Roses stir the romantic in most people.Did you also know that scents can trigger memories? That's according to memory research (I learned this through writing Midnight Zone). For me, every time I smell cinnamons rolls, I am reminded of my mother the day she made homemade cinnamon rolls with my then-two year old daughter.

Scents are a very important part of life and trigger emotions and memories. People are important part of life. Here are a few more of my friends who have left impressions on my life.

Frank Ball - He who would **always** give me a nugget of gold to carry me through, to help me keep writing and not give up. Frank is a very intelligent and kind soul. He taught me the value of tightening words and the resulting beauty therein. If you live in D/FW and are looking for a writer's group, Frank has three!! If I were to say that Frank had a particular scent, I would most likely suggest something strong, like oak or pine.

Patricia Carroll - A dear, sweet woman of God who is one of the most caring and encouraging women I've ever met. Your scent would be like lavender, soothing and relaxing.

Lena Nelson Dooley - Sweet! Sweet! SWEET! That's what Lena is. I grew leaps and bounds when I joined her in-home crit group last January. I would say Lena leaves a rose scent for those around her. (Oh, and Lena, I'm still waiting for the rest of your story with the guy trying to save the veep! I think for Lena, it would be delicate scent of roses.

Pamela Griffin - Beautiful and gentle, loving and sweet, she helped me understand so many tricky aspects of writing. And oh, my! Have you heard this woman's voice? When she reads, her voice is soo soothing--you relax right into her stories, which have the same soothing sensation. For Pamela, I'd definitely suggest something like jasmine.

Al Speegle - Dude! You are so hilarious. This guy writes satire like you wouldn't believe. He truly has a gift. With his humor, he's bound to have a tart scent. *grins*

Steve Miller - God often sends tools to sharpen us, and that's what Steve has been in my life. At times, our personalities collided, but we were both mature enough to work through it. LOL For Steve's scent, I'd suggest something maple-ish--strong and sometimes sweet, but not syrupy. ;-)

Colleen Coble - Wow, what a woman! Kind, encouraging, helpful, brilliant with words...no wonder she keeps winning mentor of the year! For COOL-LEEN (ha ha) I'd suggest something strong and hardy like a magnolia, but she has a bit of spice to her--maybe cinnamon? *grins*

...My crit buddies have their own unique scents too...Neen with gardenia, Robin with chocolate, Ron with...he's a guy, so I gotta say something masculine, right...Old Spice? ROTFL.

Okay--so sound off? If you were a scent, what kind would you be?