I have typically been very delicate with how I apply my fragrances. A tiny spritz on the wrist there and there. This is partially because I want to save the best smelling scents for some time to come in the future and partially because I don’t want to be offensive. I am going to stop worrying about both of those things.
Save fragrances for special occasions -> Use up and fully enjoy my fragrances now
My goal is to use up my bottles. Hopefully I can completely empty my samples and travel size bottles within the year. Why would anyone set a goal of wasting of expensive goods? Because I don’t run a museum. The things I own are only as valuable as they get used. Fragrance does nothing for me just aging in its bottle. It does however enrich my life when I wear it, get to enjoy it, treat myself well with it each day I get the chance. I no longer want to save my fragrances for that special event when I will be wearing that outfit and be in that location. Today is special and I want to enjoy the present, here and now.
Make sure I offend no one -> Make sure I delight myself
What usually happens instead is that I choose to not enjoy the scents I like because I am so concerned that others won’t. Trying to predict how other people will react is just exhausting. And trying to shape my life so that they might maybe may be pleased with me is overly time consuming. In trying to make sure I wear my fragrances in a way that is acceptable to everyone else, I miss out on wearing them in a way that delights me.
My new mission for myself is to stop being so consumed with that others think of me. I enjoy oud fragrances. I enjoy trying out unique scent profiles. Not everyone is going to like those fragrances, but I want to wear and explore them. And you know what, I would like to be able to smell myself throughout the day, so I am going start spraying a little more heavily.
Mind you, my idea of overspraying is likely still not even that extreme. So, potentially triggering someone’s breathing problems with my cloud of perfume is probably not going to happen. But even so, what if people smell me and don’t like my fragrance? Then they can speak up to advocate for themselves, they can walk away, or they can just bear with it and grumble internally. I’m going to let them have that agency over their own experiences instead of trying to curate for them.
Admittedly, this new approach I will be taking extends beyond fragrances. As I start to live my scent journey this way, I want to infuse this mentality in to the rest of my life: Truly enjoying life as it happens and focusing on my own hopes and dreams.
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A Wren Says 