Sweatpants, Expensive Perfume and a Desire for Normal
Wearing both is the closest thing I found to a life I once knew.
The scent of my expensive perfume helps me feel a sense of normalcy — during a time when things are far from normal.
A lot has changed since the pandemic abruptly halted my daily routine nine months ago: no commute, no water cooler chats with co-workers, and no lunch-hour workouts at the gym. It’s funny how I used to complain that my commute was too long, my co-workers gossiped too much, and how working out during lunch was such a chore — I must admit that I miss the regularity of my daily routine.
One thing that has remained constant in this whirlwind of uncertainty is the alluring scent of my perfume: L’Eau d’Issey Eau de Parfum, which I’ve worn for 20 years. The woody, floral scent made from delicate flowers, hints of amber seed, and musk is subtle and fresh as sensuality — just enough, but not too much. It’s not the type of perfume that chokes you with one sniff or lingers long after the wearer has left the room. But a scent that entices and awakens the senses with one whiff.
My pre-pandemic life was uneventful. Each day I groggily stumbled out of bed to shower, did several pushups to get my heart pumping, stood in my closet for several minutes, and wondered what to…
