Did I Smell An Orange?

The other day while in the breakroom at work, I smelled the distinctively citrus scent of a fully ripened orange. It brought back memories of the happy dance my nose would do when I peeled a Valencia or Navel orange and tiny amounts of sweet juice would squirt out, teasing me with a preview of what was to come. It was a beautiful smell; one I hadn't smelled in over 2 years.

Ironically, it was the inability to smell an orange that alerted me that something had gone terribly wrong with my olfactory sense. While sitting in a classroom in February 2008 one of the students began peeling an orange. As she did, everyone around commented on the sweet aroma permeating the room. I didn't smell a thing and I was sitting right next to her! I began to panic, wondering what else I was not able to smell. Up until that point everything seemed normal. I had just gotten over my first-ever bout with the flu and was glad to be back in class. I could walk without pain in my legs, I was slowly but surely regaining my energy, and I could once again breathe out of my nose. Life was good so why was I panicking? I was panicking because the inability to smell has ramifications for my taste buds, and I needed to be able to taste the food that I loved.

After a couple of months without the ability to smell, I went to the doctor for a remedy. To my dismay there was nothing that could be done. The loss of olfaction was due to the flu virus. Many people experience a temporary loss of smell and taste with a cold or flu, and the senses return when the flu virus is no longer present in the body. I happen to be among the 5% of people who never regain the ability to smell - a condition known as anosmia. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll probably never be able to smell my mother's home cooking, fresh flowers in a garden, and rain in the air. While I can differentiate sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes, I can no longer pick apart someone's secret recipe by discerning the different seasonings and flavors used to create their masterpiece. That's been the most disappointing thing to this foodie.

Since that day in the breakroom I haven't smelled another orange or any other scent. I've gone back to life as I've known it for the last 2+ years. I'm not angry at the tease; quite the opposite is the case. I'm grateful that God allowed me one more opportunity to be reminded of His loving care for me. He is aware of my desire to smell again and in my heart, this experience was His way of demonstrating He knows all about me and my concerns. The Psalmist said in 139:1-4:

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

I'm so grateful for the simple pleasures in life, like the occasional invigorating scent of a freshly peeled orange. But I'm more grateful and thankful for the knowledge that God is intimately and fully acquainted with me.