On January 11, 2016, I began a daily practice of writing a joke meditation of the day, called Cracked Pot Meditations. I was still recovering from the treatment of cancer, and I was having very challenging cognitive issues, so I chose just to put something simple and easy to write every day. Posting it to the blog allowed me to hold myself accountable. Some of those meditations were poorly written and unedited. I have gone back and begun editing these and adding an illustration, starting with the April 27th meditation. I hope you enjoy.
Meditation for July 17th
Urban Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy involves using essential oils, which affect our mood and health through their aroma. People obtain oils from lavender, orange blossoms, cedar, and many other plants and flowers for their various effects. Citrus scents typically evoke energy, while floral scents often evoke feelings of sleep and passion. We can combine the scents to create therapeutic success in our lives.
Sometimes we aren’t around any essential oils, so we have to rely on what’s around us. When living in a city, one must be creative to find the right aromatherapy to address their problems.
Car exhaust: If you get close to heavy traffic, you can smell the sweet, putrid scent of car exhaust. This is great for calming yourself down. The smell of a car exhaust reminds us to lie down and give up, which is a very relaxing sensation. Car exhaust is also beneficial for lifting your mood, relieving digestive problems and urinary tract issues, and, finally, it is an excellent scent for acne removal.
Paint: People are always painting their houses, and businesses are constantly covering up graffiti, so get to that wet paint and get a big old whiff. Paint is a great scent if you’re pregnant or want to be pregnant. It eases the discomfort of carrying a child. Paint can alleviate depression, especially oil-based primers. This is a great scent to liven up your libido. Paint can help alleviate respiratory problems, address addiction, and reduce stress. Some use metallic-colored paints for spiritual communions with their gods.
Skunk: Skunks love to come into the city and live under houses and find trash. These lovable creatures emit one of the most powerful scents on earth. Their musk will boost your immune system – a person sprayed never gets sick. The scent can help heal skin breaks and may even aid in the disappearance of scars. The skunk scent is excellent for treating most issues, external and internal. Sometimes I stick my head into a skunk den just to get sprayed to get the effects. The skunk spray is the most therapeutic of all the scents. Why do you think hipsters call delicious marijuana cigarettes the skunk?
Bleach: The clean, pungent scent of bleach is excellent for people with respiratory issues. Bleach is not an immune booster, but some have claimed that the smell has helped reduce cellulite. A slight whiff of bleach can help alleviate fevers and headaches. Bleach can also help remind you what you will smell like if you are murdered and the person cleans up after you, and after your body is removed, so it is a great mood lifter! Bleach has also been known to cure viral, bacterial, and other contagious illnesses. A little dab postcoital will decrease your chances of an STI.
Paper mill: The sweet, pungent scent of a paper mill will relax you of all your tension and can be used to aid sleep. Paper mill scent is excellent for anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects. I like to stand downwind of a paper mill in times of depression and times of insomnia. I also want to be near a paper mill when I’m healing from surgery.
Grass: Grass that grows through the cracks in the sidewalk and along busy highways is different from the grass you’d find in a lawn, a golf course, or a park. This is a hearty grass with a scent that serves as a natural stimulant. Rubbing the blades in your fingers and huffing heavily helps with cognitive function and memory. This is the brain scent. When you are dealing with sore muscles, lie down face-first on some grass and breathe deeply, for the intoxicating scent will relieve you of what ails your muscles.
Restaurant or store compost: This is the jack-of-all-trades. Getting into a dumpster outside a busy restaurant, chain preferred, or a supermarket will get you most of what you desire. The scent can help stabilize mood, ease anxiety, and relieve digestive issues. The compost will help improve your heart and lung health. If you can bottle up the smell of fresh compost, you have an aphrodisiac on your hands, so be careful, Casanova! Related, but a great find, is a restaurant grease trap. The aroma is enough to cure loneliness and melancholy.
Burnt rubber: This is the best scent for your respiratory issues. Extra therapeutic if the tire is still on fire. This smell is great as an antiseptic, antispasmodic, decongestant, diuretic, and stimulant. The burnt rubber will have a cooling effect. This is an excellent scent for combating migraine headaches. This will also help with aches and pain.
Pregnant women or people who suffer from seizures should stay far away from a burning tire.