Fragrance is one of the phenomena that cannot be seen but felt and it is not limited to the smelling ability. It may be possible to look differently at this gift that humans have to perceive the fragrance of things and other living entities. Smell, aroma, scent and fragrance are only words trying to encapsulate the essence of something unseen.

A smile can have a pleasant fragrance; it may be the fragrance of that person’s state of being in the moment. Their heart may be happy. When somebody smiles sincerely towards you, they are spreading the joy of the smile all around them.

Different plants, trees, flowers and fruits have their specific scents, too. The sun light brings the scents out more into the world, and just like your smile reaching out other people’s hearts, can bring out the best in them.

There are many ways to connect with people and our surroundings. One is seeing with the eyes, then the sense of hearing with the ears, feeling by touching, tasting through the tongue and smelling through your nose. In one word, all these senses for interacting with the internal and external environment, are known as VAKGO: Visual, Auditive, Kinesthetic, Gustative and Olfactory.

It may be that there are other senses, not yet part of this list. When you feel receptive to somebody else’s joy, what sense is at work? When your friend’s sadness or reading sad news bring you down, what sense is at work? It would be interesting to explore.

Returning to the conversation about the sense of smell, there are so many opportunities to engage with what nature offers each day.

Walking by a honeysuckle plant in bloom this morning its gentle colours, sweet fragrance and rich aroma were impossible to miss when passing by it. I had to stop and look at it, its fragrance brought me right there in the moment.

If you can find at least one thing or entity with a sweet fragrance every single day, life will happen from a sweeter and more inspired space…. Or maybe there is some uplifting fragrance somewhere inside yourself that waits to be discovered.

It is up to you and me to tune into all the sights and fragrances that the Earth is generously offering each day, inwards and outwards.