World Turned Upside Down: Wake Up and Smell the Toothpaste

 

Pandemic sister selfie

This is my morning routine: I wake up, get out of bed, stumble to the bathroom, sniff my toothpaste, ask Google to play the news while I brush my teeth ...

Yes, in another of those I-never-thought-I'd-be-doing-this moments, taking the cap off my toothpaste and inhaling deeply has become a part of the first moments of every day, and appreciating the heady aroma of Sensodyne Extra-Whitening is always followed by a single thought--"Oh, thank God. I still have my sense of smell."

Life in a pandemic means that self-assessment for symptoms is never-ending. Is that tickle in my throat a seasonal allergy or Covid? Am I feeling tuckered out because I just helped a Boy move ten gazillion boxes into his new digs or because that guy who walked way too close to me in the grocery story yesterday should have worn his mask UP OVER HIS NOSE?

(I apologize for the all-caps last phrase, but geeminy. If you have on a mask but are still expelling your aerosols through that enormous uncovered honker, I will not give you an wink of responsible solidarity but will mutter curses at you under my breath. Sheesh.)

Anyway, I have never appreciated smells more, because loss of smell and taste seem to be the most definitive of the Covid symptoms. Fever? Not good, but could be a lot of things. Sore throat? Ditto, and dittos also to runny nose, gastrointestinal symptoms, and nearly all the additional multitude of Very Bad (Or Perfectly Fine) Signs. The exceptions are the absence of taste or smell. If you notice these you should hie thee to the closest testing station.

The upside of having these two distinguishing symptoms is that I am really, really appreciating those senses these days. It's ironic, honestly, that they were often the senses I most wanted to damp down. If you've ever had a rotten potato in the spud bin, you know what I'm talking about. Now? Hey, that mushy potato smells TERRIBLE!  Yay! And the skunks who live on the hill seem to have visited a neighbor's dog! Hooray!

The Boy who was moving will now be at home in the city that is home to Much Younger Sister and practically within spittin' distance of the home of Much Older Sister. MOS welcomed Boy to their neck of the woods by bringing over the most most wonderful breakfast last week on unpacking day. 

We sat outside in lawn chairs, well-distanced, and balanced our plates on our laps as we removed our masks to dig in to breakfast casserole, the most decadent coffeecake ever concocted, and steaming cups of coffee. In the Before days I would have appreciated the food and the company but on that day? Every bite tantalized my nose before it went into my mouth, then the sweet-salty-savory-bitter reminded me that I was alive and well.

And truly, isn't this a gift during an awful time? The reassurance that we're still among the uninfected is savory and delicious and we are able to hold our breath and take a quick selfie with ones we love before we social distance again. 

Even with the skunks and rotten potatoes, I'll take it with gratitude.