Isn’t it weird how scents can affect your mood and remind you of things, even though it is difficult to say exactly what it reminds you of? A couple of weeks ago, I had a strange week and was in some ways not very successful with what I had hoped to achieve. And so after a unsuccessful visit to the DMV in Georgetown Friday morning (needed to get an ID, but their computer system was down or something, so they ended up closing the office for 1.5 hours about 30 min after I arrived, without even properly telling the 12 m line outside why nothing was moving), I passed by the l’Occitane store and decided to have a look inside. It is one of my favorite stores in Paris and every time I go there, I always come back with a bunch of soaps from l’Occitane. (If I am somewhere else in France, I get non-brand soaps from the local market instead). For some reason these olive oil and lavender soaps reminds me of my childhood, my mom, and my grandmother, though I have to admit that I am not sure if this memory is accurate, or if it is just because my mom loves these soaps and used to buy them on our tips to France. Or if it is because when we visited Provence and our tante Mymy there, the air was always filled with lavender. Or because small lavender bags to put in my closet has followed me throughout my life. Regardless, I couldn’t resist the lavender shelf. And the scent did make me feel more rooted and assure of myself.