A Rose By Any Other Name...

Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Would it be as alluring if it was called stinkweed instead? What about if every time you smelled it you sneezed and coughed? How much of what we think "smells good" is cultural, how much is learned, and how much is hard-wired into everyone? I would hope that spoiled food smells bad to everyone, but for years my brother would eat things that had more hair on them than Robin Williams and claim that they were still good. My theory that dirty diapers smell bad to everyone is shot down by the kids who wear them in total oblivion to the fact that they can clear an entire room just by entering with that loaded weapon. Trash composting and turning nasty in the hot sun seems to smell bad to most people, but I am sure there are exceptions. Culturally I know that there are things that some of my friends thought smelled great that I did not like, usually related to foods although perfume choice was sometimes different too. I liked that what I thought smelled good sometimes smelled bad to them too. Personally, I hate the smell of banana. I like eating bananas, but a strong banana smell is enough to make my throat close up. Freaky until you realize that for almost a year I had to take a liquid medication three times a day that was flavord with a horrid banana flavoring to try to mask its undrelying nastiness. I also can not stand the smell of regular/vanilla pediasure, ensure, or slimfast (it smells too much like the first two). Odd until you consider the number of tube feedings I have run with those products, the number of times I have had a child later return them to me, and the fact that the last child I tube fed is no longer here. I like the smell of baby formula on a baby's breath when it is warm, sweet, and sometimes just a hint off of fresh. It reminds me of all of the times I would take care of Lil' Bit and how fast she is growing up (my niece), as well as all of the little ones I watched when in school. I like the smell of a car when it is extremely hot in the summer, so hot that you can hardly stand to be inside of the car and you want to blast the air conditioning higher than ever before. For some reason I can not explain, that heat combined with the rich warm smell reminds me that I am physically, in-my-body alive more than just about any other single, random experience. I know, I am odd. I also love the smells of fresh cut grass (in spite of allergies), fresh brewed coffee, baby powder, vanilla, and butterscotch candies as they melt on someone's breath. I strongly dislike the smell of bleach, the smell of rubbing alcohol, and the smell of muddy ground (it smells like worms). My favorite smell though is one that is hard to explain - it is the smell of a preschooler who has had a great day at school and is giving you a hug goodbye or cuddling with you to read a book or sitting on your lap to color a picture or swinging with you outside. Sometimes there is a bit of baby powder smell, often No More Tears shampoo, a hint of milk, some left over bits of whatever smells we used (i.e. fingerpaint, shaving cream), outdoors, and the final traces of those baby smells all combined. So would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Do I really care? Smell it - if you like it call it whatever you want and enjoy. If not, well call it stinky and find something better to stick your nose into. :)