Something JJ said about smells...

So, the other day JJ made a comment about smells of delicious foods... This has been rolling around in my head ever since... When trying to eat wise (I refuse to use the D word!) often I hated smelling foods that I loved but was trying to stay away from. For example, I take the bus to and from school... two days a week, at the time I come home, this local Mexican restaurant is getting into full swing for dinner and the smells coming out of it as we drive by (or heaven forbid, are stopped at the light!) are AMAZING and DELICIOUS (i love love love Mexican food!)!! Well, I always dreaded driving by there during this time of day.... and have even been known to try real hard to NOT smell is as we go by... :) But after reading JJ's comment on enjoying smells... I think I was on the wrong track. I love walking around this time of year and enjoying the smells of flowers blooming and the overall smell of spring as all the new growth is coming out. Of course I don't associate this with eating, so never made the connection... But why not enjoy the smells of food too? Why not make that a positive instead of a negative? I enjoy the smell of foods when I know I'm going to be eating it soon... but when trying to NOT eat it, the smell just seemed like temptation! A taste (as JJ mentioned) only last for a moment... And so does a smell... And why does one have to lead to another!? No reason I have to eat something just cause I smelled it... The two do not have to go together. And the smell all on its own can be a pleasant experience vs. a trigger to eat... So, the last day or two I have been experimenting with this idea... When we drove by the Mexican place coming home from the farmers market.... I inhaled deeply and let the smell become an enjoyment all in its own... It was a freeing experience to allow the smell to be appreciated in its own right... Besides, when I smell newly bloomed flowers I don't have to go pick them, take them home, put them in a vase on my table to enjoy them! Yeah, once in awhile I can do that, but generally, I don't... I just enjoy the smell as I pass by... Why can't food be the same? I don't have to stop, place an order, take it home and eat it... Maybe on rare occasion I can have a bite, but why can't I just enjoy the smell as I pass by? Just the ramblings of someone who is in new appreciation of her olfactory senses :) :)