#anosmia
February 27th is…
Anosmia Awareness Day - Brings attention to a condition causing a loss of smell. Of all our senses, smell perhaps is taken for granted more than any other. There are many causes of Anosmia. The most common reasons are due to upper respiratory or sinus/nasal infections or diseases. We’ve all experienced a cold or allergy that’s temporarily prevented us from smelling. However, other conditions cause a permanent or long-term loss of the sense. When anosmia symptoms are prolonged or lifelong, many anosmics do not get to enjoy the flavor of foods, the scent of an infant or use their sense of smell as an early warning system for danger. Our olfactory sense has a powerful effect on memories and emotions. When we lose this sense, the impact is terrific.
Kahlua Day - Recognizes the rich, cream coffee liqueur that also serves up a great many delicious desserts! This alcoholic beverage adds to cocktails and adult flavored desserts equally well. To celebrate, you may want to use Kahlua, a coffee-flavored rum-based liquor, to flavor your ice cream or another dessert such as cheesecake or cake. It also tastes great in coffee, hot chocolate, creamy cocktails, as a shot or on the rocks. Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. Kahlúa is made from coffee and rum, so it does contain caffeine.
Pokemon Day - Marking the anniversary of the Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green on February 27, 1996, this day is a favorite for fans of the franchise. The game was developed by Game Freak and released by Nintendo to be played on the Game Boy.
Polar Bear Day - Polar bears can reach a height of 9 ft tall and a weight of 1400 pounds. They use their large, slightly webbed front paws to paddle as they swim. As they are powerful swimmers, some polar bears swim hundreds of miles from land. Polar bears have a warming layer of fat covered by their thick coat of insulating fur, which helps them live in colder environments.
Retro Day - This day takes us back to a time before smartphones and the internet. Every generation looks back and asks, “Remember when?” This celebration indulges our love for the good ol’ days while remaining in the present. No matter the decade, pick a point in time where people talked more face to face than text to text, had dinner at home around the table and the kids played games that didn’t require internet.
Strawberry Day - There are a few different stories behind the origin of the name. The more widely accepted version is that the berries would drop off the leaves and become “strewn” about the plant. Over time “strewn-berries” became “strawberries”. There was a time (and some gardeners still do this today) when strawberry beds were mulched with straw, insulating the plants over the winter, keeping weeds at bay during the growing season, and making them easier to harvest. Another sweet story tells of English children stringing the berries on grass straws and selling the “straw berries” in their neighborhoods. There are over 600 varieties of strawberries as well. An excellent source of Vitamin C, strawberries are also a good source of folic acid, potassium, and fiber. At 55 calories and zero fat in 1 cup, these sweet things hit the spot when snack time is calling!
World NGO Day - World Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Day recognizes the inspirational work of the people behind not-for-profit organizations around the world do every day. NGOs are found at the local, regional and international levels. NGOs, according to Article 71 of the United Nations Charter, are defined as any organization “independent from government influence and is not-for-profit.” Equally important, these groups provide benefits to individuals and communities that may not otherwise be available. They improve neighborhoods and the lives of the people who live in them. From medical aid, financial services, environmental research, educational support, and crisis intervention, NGOs provide a variety of services.
Post link
The following is an imaginary conversation.
“So, I’m grey-aromantic and demisexual. That means that I only rarely feel romantic attraction to people, and I only feel sexual attraction to someone after I form an emotional connection with them, and even then, it’s pretty rare.”
“But that’s just how everyone is. It’s totally normal to not get crushes on people that often, and I like to get to know people before I want to have sex with them, too.”
“Okay, you’ve brought up a couple different things here. First, there’s a difference between feeling sexual attraction and wanting to have sex with someone. You can feel attraction to a person and decide not to have sex with them until you get to know them. But I don’t feel that sexual attraction at all when I meet someone. Second, sure, it’s normal for me to not get crushes on people that often, and maybe it’s normal for you, too, but it’s not normal for everyone. Just look at all the movies that are about love at first sight.”
“That’s just fiction. That doesn’t really happen to real people.”
“Fiction can be sensational, but it’s inspired by reality. If it had nothing to do with reality, then people wouldn’t be interested, and it wouldn’t sell, and they’d stop making it. But, okay, let’s focus on reality. Real people talk about their crushes all the time. It’s basically all anyone wanted to talk about at my high school – who liked who, who was dating who, how much they loved this celebrity or that celebrity. Was it like that with the people you went to school with, too?”
“Yeah! It could get really annoying. But they were just exaggerating. Teenagers make such a big deal out of everything.”
“Ha! They do. I know I did. So maybe they were exaggerating about how strong their crushes were. But when someone tells me what they’re experiencing, I think it’s important to believe them. And if they’re describing something that doesn’t line up with my own experience, then it’s even more important to believe them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, so, did you know that I don’t have a sense of smell?”
“Really?”
“Really. Born without. Never had it. You could fart right now, and if I didn’t hear it, then I wouldn’t know.”
“That sounds super convenient, actually.”
“It can be. The thing is, I have no idea what it’s like to smell. That’s not a part of my experience at all. So, like, you’re telling me that it’s possible for you to just walk into a room and know what’s for dinner? Without seeing it? You just know? From the air? Like magic?”
“It does sound like magic, when you put it like that.”
“I know, right? Sounds pretty sus! But if I’d gone my whole life saying that smell wasn’t real, if I told everyone that they were lying or delusional because they said they could smell… what would that make me?”
“A jerk.”
“Exactly! I’d be a real jerk. Stuck in my own head, unable to imagine that other people might experience the world differently. So, instead, when someone tells me that they feel something that I don’t feel, or that they feel it more often than I feel it, or more strongly, I believe them. And I hope that they extend me the same courtesy – that they believe me, too, when I tell them that my experience is different from what they experience.”
“But what you described before, how you experience attraction, that didn’t sound different than what I experience.”
“Well, being able to talk about this stuff means that it’s possible to find people who experience the world the same way that you do, or at least in a similar way. That’s why I like these labels so much. They help me find other aro-ace people to talk to.”
“Are you saying I’m aro-ace?”
“I’m not going to try to say what you are. I’m not inside your head. You get to describe your experience the way you want to. But if you find that these labels are useful to you like they’re useful to me, I’d be happy to talk with you about it, as much or as little as you want.”
