Would you Scratch and Sniff in Public?

Some perfumes or scent related products offer a sort of scratch and sniff type of paper. It releases the fragrance whenever you do! It was said to be invented by 3M way back in the 1960’s. For a brief period it was used to diagnose anosmia. But I have always wondered about its true origin story. How it REALLY started.

An epiphany struck when one day, I scratched my scalp ever so vigorously and sniffed the tips of my fingers long enough that my eyes rolled backwards. I was ecstatic! But for some peculiar reason, it smelled like a fucking wet dog. Moreover, I was addicted to it and became one of my countless mannerisms to date.

Scratch and Sniff Origins – My Theory

Going back to the origin story, I feel that it came from a type of human experience. A person who was scratching and sniffing different parts of his/her body thought that: “oh instead of sniffing my own body odor, I’ll develop something where I can experience fragrance”. It’s a wild guess, but maybe, who knows?

Moving-on, this phenomenon continued and the person approached paper companies to manufacture the said experience. But since it was new and unconventional, of course it was turned down! Then one day a big paper manufacturer grabbed all the credit. The person who really invented it was left to scratch and sniff his/her own body odor till the day he/she died. Not being able to realize his dream. Such is life.

Okay Back to Reality

So we’ve established that this is a passable mannerism with just the right amount of grossness. To answer my own question (drum roll please). Yes, I honestly do it in public. I couldn’t help myself at times and most of all, who gives a fuck?

I became fond of my “Wet dog scent” scalp, also found a few friends that actually tried what I was doing and got hooked. That was time when I told myself: “ah, I should be an influencer and start a blog, or something”. If I can make people scratch and sniff gross parts of their body, I wonder what else I can make them do.

The Takeout

So before the post ends, I’d like to share something that I’ve learned very recently. It’s called the 3×3 meditation method where you focus on 3 things that you see and a series of breathing exersices. Try not to be subjective about the “Things” you see. Just be plain and simple. Examples below.

• Correct: “a duck”, “a computer”, “a table”.
• Wrong: “a fat duck”, “a huge computer”, “a messy table”.

Now, mention item #1 then breath in with your nose and breath out with your mouth. Repeat this process for item #2 & #3. This is said to guarantee relaxation and is actually proven to heighten your mindfulness.

After doing this, slowly place your fingers on your forehead then reach out to the center of your scalp. Scratch gently up and down, then moderately clockwise, then finally a hard counter clockwise. Repeat 3x. With your eyeballs only, look to your left and then to your right. Bring your fingers to your nose. Then deeply inhale and exhale as you did with the mindfulness practice above. Do you feel it? Pure & Untainted Satisfaction.