My nose KNOWS
I worked until 9:15 last night and arrived home in the dark, unable to see the yard. When I opened my car door, the pungent smell of freshly cut grass enveloped me. In the ten steps from my car to the house, I knew the entire yard had been cut; a stark contrast to Super Hearing Boy’s (SHB’s) usual habit of cutting a portion of the large yard to keep from overexerting himself. But the potency of the grass smell was magnified tenfold this time. I was astounded when SHB confirmed the yard work was totally done!
If the CIA needs human sniffers, they should consider hiring people from the hard of hearing/deaf community. Several hoh/deaf people have written to confide to me they also possess this super powerful sense of smell. Surely we can profit from this phenomenon!
However, there is a downside to this freakish ability. In public places (think about where I work, people), my nose picks up on the personal habits of people around me. From 6 feet away, I can learn A LOT about someone. But I REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW who:
- Forgot to put on deodorant
- Needs a breath mint
- Smokes
- Needs to take a shower
- Tossed back a few beers for breakfast
Unlike my hearing aids, there’s no “off” button for my nose!
Jennifer Said:
on October 11, 2007 at 3:09 am
Hey!! I have that too!! It’s not always a good thing…sometimes I get a little nuts trying to find out where a smell is coming from. I’ve always heard that if you lose one sense, the others get stronger…and I guess that it’s true, at least in our case!
Kim Said:
on October 11, 2007 at 6:55 am
Oh my gosh–isn’t this the truth?! Some people and some things so BAAAD. On the other hand, I’ve told my kids “Don’t even try it, because I can SMELL trouble.” hehe
Laurie in TN Said:
on October 11, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Oh yes. . . I have a strong sense of smell, too. And I “see” things before others do!