A few months ago I was having a really bad day. There was no particular reason why, perhaps it was because I hadn’t slept well, or maybe it was because someone had said something wrong, or maybe I had just woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
Whatever the case, it was just a hard day. It wasn’t one of those days where I was angry at everything, or even frustrated. It was one of those days where I was sad and the smallest thing would make me cry or make me really upset.
That day at work I was about four hours through my shift and I was hiding in the back doing dishes because I didn’t want to face anybody… I just couldn’t handle it that day.
I was waiting for the dishwasher to finish its cycle so that I could dry the dishes and was leaning against the sink; when suddenly out of nowhere I could smell my Gramma’s perfume.
I froze. It was like my mind could no longer comprehend what was going on around me, all I could think of were the memories that were bombarding my brain that I hadn’t thought of in a while.
Time slowed and everything around me became fuzzy and out of focus and all I could focus on was that scent.
My Gramma had passed away to cancer three years before and it had been a really difficult time for my family. Our hearts still ached and at that moment it was as if mine had stopped.
My bad day simply melted away. All of a sudden everything was alright and my turmoil ceased. A slow smile spread over my face and it remained there for the rest the day. I was able to please customers and deal with them in a happy and friendly manner, which had been difficult to do earlier that day.
It’s funny how sometimes when you need someone the most, even if they’ve been gone for a long time, they somehow find a way to get to you and let you know that they’re with you.
Sometimes it’s through our sense of smell or something you hear, other times it’s through a dream; sometimes it’s simply a number that keeps reoccurring in your day-to-day life – a number that you associate with that person.
There are mysterious ways that our loved ones have of connecting with us even though they’re gone and it can turn your bad day into a good day.
Only later would I realize that I was wearing the boots that had been my Gramma’s, and the fan underneath the stove was blowing the smell up to me.
Call me crazy, but I truly believe that she made that happen that day. I had worn those boots many times before and that fan had been on many days before that; and yet, that had never happened until I was having a really bad day and I really needed her.
I know that she’s up in heaven and she’s watching over me and I know that at times, she connects with everyone in my family when we need it most.
Notes of an Optimist 