I am an original granolie. But back then, it wasn’t about necessarily eating healthy, it was more of a style, a penchant for earthiness. Not too much has changed with me over the decades. I wore braids, jeans, Birkenstocks and no makeup. Check, check, check and check.
Yeah, I’m a little wiser, a little less reckless, and a whole lot more open to new ideas. But my generation of tail-end baby boomers was defined by the causes of the time, and so I am much as I was then.
These are uneasy times, one might say. Whatever you believe in politically, this isn’t smooth sailing. Change can be oh so unsettling. On top of that, I haven’t had a great year (my dog is in doggie heaven, my boyfriend is in the bachelor hood, and my dentist is living with a bonus in his wallet).
A girl can look in new places for solace. Like, say, essential oils.
Essential oils. I can tell you, there are no oils that are essential. None whatsoever. But that’s not where they get their name anyway; they are thusly named because they’re the concentrated essence of a plant (of course). Over the years, I’ve been the person who says – quite simply — “I don’t like things that smell.” But as I’ve reached the end of this decade (my fifth), I’m beginning to be more open to smelly things, at least when it comes to scented floor cleaner (basil … yum), shampoo (rosemary … divine) and toilet bowl cleaner (lemon … vast improvement). The trend of aromatherapy, though, was completely new to me. It’s one thing to put nice smelling scents in cleaning products, but to diffuse into the air to promote wellness? Harrumph.
My friend Jaimie told me of a diffuser concoction she threw together of oregano, clove, frankincense and lavender for when her son wasn’t feeling well. My reaction, “Well, ya gotta believe.”
She hesitated. Huh? If you think it helps, that’s all that counts. Because it might. It just might. And he did feel better in the morning. So there. Mind body connections are something quite real, though ephemeral.
So I bought a diffuser. Oh, I actually bought two. The first one tipped over and broke, spilling water and oil on the floor. You might have thought that might deter me from pursuing this new experience, but I still had some oils, so I bought a second diffuser. I’ve tried a few scents. If you look around, you’ll find the essence of so many plants – from grapefruit to lime to lemon to ginger to juniper berries.
Given my rough year, I’m interested in anything that might increase my sense of well-being. Could it be marjoram that would do the trick? Or dill?
Today, I saw a display in the grocery store for 20% off essential oils. I sniffed the testers. Ugh. But then I saw one that I couldn’t resist. Cocoa. Yes, really. I sniffed it. Like brownies and chocolate chip cookies and s’mores all blended into one delicious whiff.
What is it supposed to be good for? It uplifts your mood, reduces stress and is a mild antidepressant. Perfect. I think I’ll mix it with some of my vanilla essential oil or peppermint oil and give myself a real mood boost. Sure easier than baking. And I believe ...
Jody Russell is an Eden Prairie web designer, photographer and writer. Her columns appear regularly in the Eden Prairie News.
