I have to admit, I like fragrances. The sense of smell, after all, is one of the five senses that most people have. The other day, as I rode my motorcycle past a newly-mown athletic field, the scent transported me back to the days of fall and victory and defeat on the high school gridiron. The funky aroma one detects when nearing the Georgia coast speaks of the marshes teeming with wildlife and, not very far away, the allure of the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
I like the smell of incense used during church services. To me, that is the smell of a church. We don’t do it as often as I would like but, when alone in the sanctuary or at home in my quiet place, I have a supply of charcoal and incense. Not that weird stuff you buy in a New Age store — the kind manufactured by monks and intended for sacred use.
I enjoy the burning wood smell of a fireplace, the scent of smoke from campfires or burning leaves. I even enjoy the smell of diesel fuel, which takes me back to high school football away games.
I also like scented candles. I realize that this revelation may cost me my membership card in the Macho Man Club, but there it is. I like the Christmas smelling candles during that season, the spice scent during the fall, the pumpkin aroma at Thanksgiving … but my overall favorite aroma is vanilla.
The other day, I was perusing a catalog for military veterans and came across “Sgt. Wick’s C-Ration Scented Candles.” The candles are packed into what looks like a C-Ration can, with an olive drab color, and offers “manly” scents. The advertising encourages the potential buyer to “put down that pumpkin spice candle” and “get your cave smelling right.”
One of the aromas is “Apple Pie.” I have to admit, that sounds enticing. Who doesn’t remember Mom’s or Grandma’s apple pies? Such a scent may not be a manly scent but the apple pie smell would surely attract manly types.
Then there’s the “Maple Bacon” aroma. I have long said that women do not wear perfume to attract men. If they did, women would smell like bacon. Who doesn’t like the smell of bacon? Even some vegetarians are known to sneak a bite of bacon when no one is looking. And, of all the bacon smells, maple bacon has to be one of the best.
But for the really manly man types, there is the third aroma: “Gunpowder.” Any gun owner, hunter, police officer, member of the military, or military veteran knows that smell. Even novels refer to the “acrid smell of gunpowder.” There are memes on social media about the topic, “I like the smell of gunpowder in the morning.” One thing about it — it’s not the aroma of lilac-scented candles. I am just encouraged that even the rough and tumble among us are potential customers for scented candles.
So, I’ll keep my Macho Man Club card, my incense, and my scented candles — especially the vanilla. And I have to admit … that maple bacon thing might bear some investigation!
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA (www.ctkcec.org). He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese which consists of Georgia and Tennessee (www.midsouthdiocese.org) and the Associate Endorser for the Department of the Armed Forces, U. S. Military Chaplains, ICCEC. He may contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org.]
