Dryer Sheets and the Big Announcement

Smell is said to be the sense that’s most closely linked to memory and I always affirm this statement when I run across a random scent and have a strong memory come to mind. Whenever I smell heavy traffic fumes, I remember Indonesia and the crowded, dirty air. When I smell freshly cut grass, I remember Mr. Mitchell’s yard and all the summer days I spent there with the lawn mower. And when I smell fresh laundry that’s tumbled in the dryer with Bounce, I remember home.

All the years I lived at home, my mom did my laundry and the years I was at college and returned home to visit, my mom would do my laundry. The fresh smell of clothes dried with Bounce dryer sheets is a smell that I associate with comfort and home and I didn’t realize this until a few months ago when I received a box from home. The box contained my winter clothes and the instant I cut through the heavy tape and tore open the cardboard, I had a rush of that clean smell that threw me back into my memories. Holding up a shirt to my face and inhaling the Bounce fragrance took me back to my house in Raleigh with my little dog running around and my mom close by drinking her afternoon coffee. A tear or two filled me eyes and I was surprised at home much the scent meant to me. Clothes dryers aren’t common in Japan, so I never use dryer sheets, and thus I never experience the Bounce smell. All the clothes I’ve brought with me have lost their Bounce freshness through wear and wash and only the new box of clothes carried the signature of mom’s love.

Since then, my sister has sent me a box of Bounce for me to use in a variety of ways (you’d be amazed at home many uses dryer sheets have). Mostly, I just tuck them in between my clothes so they smell nice when I put them on. Fresh clothes and a memory of home…

This brings me to my next topic and BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. While I love home and all the smells that are associated with the people and places there, I’ve decided to stay on in Japan for a second year. My original contract runs from July 2005 to July 2006, but now I’m re-contracting to stay until July 2007. This decision was reached after months of thought, prayer, and discussion. Basically, I’ve begun to build a life here and am enjoying my time in Japan. I have a job and a home and lots of interesting things to experience. I feel like the most sensible thing to do is stay…to continue to explore, grow, and learn.

So now everyone back home has more time to plan trips to come visit me! Kaiten sushi and onsens are only an ocean away!