As Christmas and New Years get shockingly closer, I'm becoming more introspective and reflective. This week, I woke up one morning and decided to play hooky from work. It was cold and gray out, not exactly the kind of day you want to be out walking around but I got the urge to just be "in the moment" and to do something that I normally wouldn't do and be someplace where I normally wouldn't be. So I got on the train and went to Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be precise. This is an old neighborhood that is now artsy and full of hipster types. If I'm crabby it can annoy me but I didn't feel crabby that day and I just wanted to be someplace other than where I normally am so I went for it.
As I came up out of the subway I felt the cold air chill me but I also felt a strange sensation inside, I felt glad to be alive. I can't describe to you how odd it felt. I'm normally on autopilot everyday, I rarely think about how I feel I am so busy. I felt almost outside of my body in a strange way, like my senses were heightened by not being on a schedule. It was good. I looked around and saw people going about their routines like I normally do and I felt lucky to have a routine even if I was trashing it for a day. I felt a slight sense of shame at the complaining I do about this and that and I realized how much I take everything for granted. Then I decided to go to my very favorite shop in that neighborhood, a perfume "gallery" called "CB I Hate Perfume".
I dearly love "CB I Hate Perfume" and I feel lucky to live so close to it. It's not just a store, it's a place where you can time travel. Every time I go to this place I have so many vivid memories of past experiences, people and places I've been. "CB" is Christopher Brosius. He is a perfumer and he creates scents from his life experiences among other things. Sort of the opposite of a "perfume". I like to call it wearable art. Mr Brosius has an innate talent for creating scents that smell pretty much spot on to what he claims them to be. He has simplistic "accords" for everyday things like "graham cracker" and "roast beef. Would I ever wear roast beef as a personal scent? No, but opening the small bottle and sniffing it takes me back to Sunday dinners that my mom used to lovingly prepare and sometimes that is all I really want to experience. 'Bazooka 1974", "Soaked Earth" , "Doll Head", "French Bread", "Baseball Glove", "Kir Royale", "Buttercrunch Lettuce", "Suntan Lotion 1967", and "First Snow" all smell exactly like their names and all conjure up different memories...or not, based on your own personal experiences. There are also more complex offerings, "perfumes" if you want to call them that. They too are pretty much true to their names, "In the Library", 'Smoky Tobacco", "November", "To See a Flower", "Gathering Apples", "Black March", In the Summer Kitchen"...these all smell pretty much like you would imagine them to smell. Some of his scents even make me miss places I've never been, they are that powerful and reactive for me.
On the cold, dreary day I was at the studio this week I decided to treat myself to something in the spirit of the upcoming holidays. I chose to adorn myself with "Gingerbread". One light spray and I was covered in a gentle veil of ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. This scent doesn't smell like cake or food, it is a lovely blend of the elements of gingerbread and it is extremely wearable. It's a warm, inviting, soft blend of ginger , vanilla and spices. My mood was instantly lifted and I felt cozy, warm and happy. Scent instantly does this for me and Mr Brosius' creations seem to hit the mark every time.
I left the shop with my purchase and as I walked down the street in that bleak deserted industrial area near the water, the cold wind whipped through my hair and the smell of gingerbread wafted around me. It was only 3 pm but the sky was turning darker as it does at this time of year and daylight was beginning to fade quickly. I made it back to the main drag and found a little cafe where I sat down alone for some hot cocoa and a cookie. As I sat there observing others, a man walked up to my table and asked if he could join me. He told me I looked like an Angel which made me laugh pretty hard . Flaming red long curly hair and a cream colored sparkly sequined scarf must have made me look more innocent than I actually am, a mischievous Devil would have been closer to the truth. I welcomed him and we had a lovely chat about anything and everything. It was just the thing I needed at that moment and I felt like I was in the right place at the right time, exactly where I was supposed to be with who I was supposed to be with.
As I finished my drink, it was nearly dark and my new friend walked me to the train where we wished each other a happy holiday and a peaceful New Year. Within 30 minutes, I was back in my familiar surroundings and I felt as if I almost took a brief vacation. I highly recommend doing this if you feel stuck in a rut. Go someplace, do something outside your normal routine with an open heart and mind and see what it does for you.
And so that's it, nothing else to say. I hope you are enjoying the season and finding the warmth and fellowship that this time of year brings. :)
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