The Scent of Love (Updated from 6/28/2015)

 

“When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

-- R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983)

I apologize, upfront, for a short moment of rambling thought.

I'm a fairly private person.  I don't let many people into my world. Not anymore.  I have many friends, few of which are close, and fewer are those I allow inside.  My world is orderly, to a point.  My shirts hang in one direction, with the second button from the top buttoned, my underwear is tri-folded and neatly stacked, and I really prefer to iron my own shirts so they are just right.  There is generally a place for everything, and I like everything in its place.  I accept authority because it is my desire to do so, not because the authority thinks I care.  For forty years of my life, I have worked at what I wanted. I've taken grief as a consequence of doing what I choose, with full knowledge that, at a moment's notice, I could bend over, slap my lily-white derriere, and say, "Kiss it, Mutha...  I'm so outta here!" I never found a reason.

And then there is my work area.

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

-- St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

My work area is usually a disaster, while I work.  I like it that way.  It keeps me creative.  It helps me think.  Computers?  I want a paper file; something with texture and the smell of paper; something I can hold in my hand, fold, and scribble on.  I like a file folder I can tear apart and spread out.  I like large chalkboards that I can brainstorm on and whiteboards that I can see from the doorway that tell what projects and appointments are coming up.  Most of all... I like the smell of things.

I love the scent of sawdust and gear grease.  I love the smell of a tree as I'm trimming it or cutting it down. The scent of a toolbox as I open it for the tools to adjust the chain on the chainsaw, or the sparkplug in the mower.  Most of all, I love to stand in the middle of my messy woodworking area, surrounded by tools, and scraps of this and that, and I can smell the scent of everything combined; my muse, my source of inspiration and creativity.  And, of course, I love the smell of good food, and the spices to flavor it.  I'm Siciliano, why would this be a surprise?

As far back as I can trace most of the men, on my father's side, they came into this country with a carpenter's toolbox, for the most part, though a few were barbers.  And, being Sicilian, we have always had a great love of food, both eating, and cooking, and the men in my family can cook.  There is nothing more sensual than the smell of a great meal.  Given a choice between pasta with meatballs and a glass of red wine, or a night on the town with a good-looking woman, hand me a cloth napkin and a fork, if she wants me that bad, she'll wait... or eat.  If she thinks I'm selfish, she really needs to pull up a chair and dig in.

"Women! What can you say? Who made 'em? God must have been a [freakin'] genius. The hair... They say the hair is everything, you know. Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls... just wanted to go to sleep forever? Or lips... and when they touched yours, were like... that first swallow of wine... after you just crossed the desert."

-- Lt. Col. Frank Slade, "Scent of a Woman" (1992)

In a great way, I hope she waits.  It may sound a tad kinky, but there is something about the scent of a woman, especially her hair after it's just been shampooed.  A trained nose can usually detect the faint smell of soap as a woman passes, especially if she walks through her perfume mist instead of splashing it on like some novice dude wearing High Karate aftershave.  He would empty a crowded elevator in Macy's... like someone set off tear gas during an army training exercise.  

No, other than food, there is much to be said for the subtle scent of a woman.  And, for the woman, the subtle scent of a man. 

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goetherman

I think "Goethe" almost had it.  Everyone should make a little music, write some poetry, and create a fine picture, every day of their life, even if it's just for them.  Although, how selfish would that be?

But all of this is art.  

Whether you take pride in your painting, yard work, woodwork, engine work, cooking, or yourself, it is all a form of art, and all of it has a scent.  For most of us who realize this, it is the scent of love.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the blind must see with the heart... and the nose.  As for men and women? We are like a hearty meal, and it is up to us what ingredients we use.  We can opt for spicy or bland, sweet or bitter, fragrant or subtle, with an explosion of flavor, or just a slight kiss.  Does it really matter what the meal looks like?  Close your eyes and just enjoy the fragrance.  

You might wake up in a mountain of curls, and realize how lucky you are.  God gifted you with a nose, so use it.  She surely won't mind.

“Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

-- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com