The Right Smell

When Macey got back in the dating pool I wanted to save her some of the pain I went through. There are hours and hours of my life I will never get back and I have tried to impart my vast wisdom on her. One of the things I have uttered countless times is to know what you can and can’t put up with in a potential suitor. We all have varying degrees of what we can tolerate and possibly live with forever, and things we cannot.

About a week ago I saw an episode of True Life on MTV and the subject was fetishes. I wasn’t completely sure what I was in for but just writing about it makes me gag a little. One young man had a foot fetish…not a “hey I love how your feet look in those stilettos” shoe fetish, a full on foot proclivity. Some lucky girl not only had to have a pretty foot but, had to have the right smell. I watched a fair amount of the show threw my fingers. Yes, I could have changed the channel but then I never would have known if he found the right…gag…smell. Well, he didn’t and I couldn’t bring myself to watch the second part of the show; a gal who was into wearing animal costumes everywhere she went.

There are most certainly things I put up with that I would never deal with now. One of my boyfriends used to blow his nose into his t-shirts. It didn’t matter if they were clean or lying on the floor, they were all fair game. I have a thing about phlegm and mucus and this grossed me out in untold ways. If he’s too lazy to get a box of Kleenex or for the love of God, some toilet paper, that didn’t bode well for he and I. I am proud to say that in 7 years together my husband has never once abused any kind of shirt with snot.

I knew a girl who had a problem with a guy she dated because the first time they met, he was wearing a corduroy jacket with elbow patches…and he was nowhere near British. She eventually got over her fear of bad fashion and they have been married for many years now. I have a friend that has a thing about men’s shoes; if she doesn’t like them, there will probably not be another rendezvous. Superficial, most certainly but, it’s their preference and who am I to judge?

You really have to figure out who you are and what is or is not okay when you are dating. Shoes and clothes can be changed but personality quirks can’t. We all want to be loved for who we are idiosyncrasies and all. It just may take some of us longer to find the right…ack…smell.