The sense of smell is one of the gateways to an abundant life. Every moment is an opportunity to be aware of all the pleasant fragrances, scents and aromas that life has to offer. When this awareness is cultivated throughout one’s life, then memories of our favorites can bring us peace, contentment and joy. 

Last week I was sitting outside and taking in the fresh—but different—early morning air. I was camping in New Mexico and the smell of life was different than it is on my back porch high above a Texas lake.

Noting that difference, memories of my favorite fragrances, scents and aromas from all stages of my life came to mind. I grabbed my laptop and listed them, and below I share with you my 50 favorites:

1. Puppy breath
2. Pomeranian dog fur
3. Incoming rain
4. Fresh, damp air at dawn while wakeboarding on mirror water
5. Wet railroad ties
6. Ponderosa pines along hiking trails
7. Carnations
8. New car smell
9. Grandfather’s pipe
10. Bacon frying on an outdoor camping grill
11. The smell of the air where I live
12. The smell of desert heat
13. Campfires
14. Hint of Incense inside a chapel or church
15. My favorite perfume
16. Scent of a loved one
17. Walking past a neighbor’s house and catching a whiff of dryer sheets
18. Fragrance of the original Jergens lotion from the 1960’s (not the current “original”)
19. Smell of the lake water where I live
20. Crisp, clean, cotton sheets washed in Tide
21. Even better—sheets washed in Tide and dried on a clothesline
22. Dark chocolate chip oatmeal cookies baking in the oven
23. Steaks on the grill
24. Warm aroma of an authentic Italian restaurant
25. Easter lilies
26. Marigolds
27. Scent of a recently cleaned house
28. Freshly mowed grass
29. The overwhelming fragrance from fields thick with Bluebonnet flowers
30. Mountain air
31. The aroma of dirt, rocks, air and plants on the hiking trails where I live
32. The smell of each season
33. Roses
34. The rich fragrance of leather when I open a new box of cowboy boots
35. Vanilla extract
36. Vanilla candles
37. A fresh glass of ice water
38. Aroma of a favorite wine when first opened
39. Tazo tea while its brewing
40. Coffee while it’s brewing
41. The smell of a small café when it’s serving breakfast
42. Aroma of my husband’s homemade pizzas cooked on the Big Green Egg
43. The fragrance of real Christmas trees from when I was a small child
44. Baby lotion
45. A newborn baby
46. Lunch cooking at a mountain restaurant
47. Dr. Pepper made with real sugar
48. Potting soil
49. Horses
50. Gasoline on a summer day

Maybe you can relate to some of these.

Do you have 50 favorites?