Welcome to Volume 9 of the Tao Out Loud newsletter where we’re finding everyday magic, every day! It’s around a 15 min read, why not set some time aside for it as you would with a letter from someone you love! If you’ve come here by chance, or a friend passed this on, I hope you’ve come to stay. Sign up below so you don’t miss a thing.
Parcel Post
[2 min read]
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. — II Corinthians 2:14
Parcel post is a little different this time but I’m putting this up high because I don’t want anyone to miss it. This week our ministry Awake the Flame and partners will be sending a contribution to the Philippines to assist those who have had their lives disrupted by the ravages of Typhoon (read hurricane) Vamco this month. Our liaisons on the ground—wonderful missionaries and ministers Dwayne met on his pre-covid trip to Japan—are reporting that though food is being provided by other non-profits, many homes have been destroyed and people literally are sleeping in the elements. They are also without water or electricity.
US$400 builds a house there. We set a goal to send enough money to build 10 homes. It’s a drop in the bucket perhaps but they are grateful. We have raised enough for 8 so far and I am hoping that if you are in a position to help that you will consider doing so (quickly) as we wish to send the packet this week to meet our month-end target. Our outreach is directed at the Bicol region which was one of the worst hit, and as that is where our people are. To contribute (and perhaps help us send more than we hoped) please contact me or Dwayne directly, so that your donation can be fast tracked and we can keep you up to date on their progress. Read more on Vamco here.
Small Moments, Big Magic
[2 min read]
The Magic of A New Flavor to Savor
It was like a petrified tomato, or so it occurred to me as I slipped a thin slice of whatever this was into my mouth. It looked like a tomato, albeit orange and not red or green. But it was firm on the outside and firmer on the inside. A frozen or unripe tomato would have descended into mushy chaos being out of the freezer so long. It cut like an apple but was too savory to comfortably class as a fruit, and yet it was too sweet for a stir fry (I tried. I mean, it wasn’t terrible.) I later learned it was a persimmon, albeit unripe, freighted to my neighbor from a friend in California. A fruit I didn’t even know existed.
The oriental persimmon, with its over 2000 cultivars, are native to China but have spread to Korea, Japan, and the USA. Demeter Fragrance Library carries a persimmon perfume that claims to be “citrus with a hint of sweetness…fresh, crisp and clean.” The interwebs have instructed me that it doesn’t have the nicest aroma when ripening, which is ironic since they say 80% of the flavors we taste come from what we smell. In my search to identify the mystery morsel a few people told me it’s their favorite Fall fruit—sweet, rich, and when ripe, like honey. I wish I could endorse that but I never gave it the chance. Oh, I ate it, but decidedly prematurely.
There’s a moral here: When we don’t perceive or acknowledge the value of what we are gifted with, we are more prone to abuse, lose, refuse, or misuse it. A word to the wise, consider what you hold, treasure it and treat it with worth and dignity.
Also, I need another persimmon before they go out of season.
The Magic of Freshness
Newborn babies, freshly ground coffee, freshly baked cookies, new books, new money, new mail (like the kind I just received), fresh herbs and spices, freshly turned earth, freshly washed hair, freshly cleaned anything, just-cut lemons, the smell of outside after a fresh spell of rain. There is nothing like the smell of freshness to lift us to life. There is a sense of promise and purpose, of the old being cast off and room made for possibility. What fresh scents are your favorite? Always love hearing from you.
Snaps
[1 min read]
Overheard
[2 min read]
“Imagine if you could bottle a memory like scent. Then, whenever you wanted, you could open it. It’d be like living the moment all over again.”
—A conversation between Mrs. Van Hopper’s Traveling Companion and Maxim De Winter in Netflix’s Rebecca
Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
—Ashley Smith
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
—William Shakespeare
Scents are the stealth weapons in the arsenal of the senses. They head directly to the emotional parts of the brain, bypassing rationality. The memories they evoke are rich, immersive things, three-dimensional and intimate.
—Erica Bauermeister, author of The Scent Keeper
You smell like rain in a teapot, Mummy.
—Jayden Howard (my youngest son)
Fast Fiction
[3 min read — A new section, just for fun.]
Four fifteen p.m. on a sunny Thursday afternoon and I am in a cramped airplane bathroom on my way to the United States. As usual I am making it a point not to listen to the stewardess as she runs her pre-take-off spiel. I figure that by now I could repeat it backward if I tried. Besides, after being up all night packing, my sinuses acting up and a twice-delayed flight I really need some coffee and a cigarette. Pity I can’t have one; all because that nice lady (and I use that term loosely) at the check-in counter confiscated my lighter. I really loved that one too. It seems someone did fly under the radar though, because as I lean back against this wall and stare into the mirror before me I am living vicariously on somebody’s secondhand emissions. The aroma fills every corner of the space and I inhale deeply. I bet it’s that guy in coach that greeted us when we boarded, the one that pressed his pants on the wrong side. He could easily be someone I’ve seen lighting up in Bubba’s Sports Bar’s smoking section. And I guess now that’s him knocking.
“Miss, we need you to please take your seat for take-off.”
It isn’t him, but it could as well be. In their matching standard-issue uniforms who can tell the difference. I gaze once more into my own red eyes, down another tablespoon of Histal, and return to my aisle. Two middle-aged women have taken 18B and C. So much for my intentions to stretch out across the seats. I murmur a greeting and try to squeeze past the first woman who sighs dramatically and squirms as if I have inconvenienced her. The other rises a bit to let me pass but when my heel catches the strap of her leather carry-on she manages a few choice phrases under her breath, which decidedly smells like vodka. I suppose it doesn’t matter to her that I nearly lose my teeth against the window. Finally settling down I strap in, stick in my AirPods and turn my face to the tarmac. Their gossipy conversation is annoying me, and probably everyone within a ten-seat radius.
“You see Edwena pon Sunday? Where she going in dem tight pants? She din’t look bad doh. Poor Deacon Fields couldn’t keep he eyes on de communion table.”
Her friend satisfies her periodically with raucous laughter. Whose son lives with who, whose wife is unmannerly, which politician is doing what undercover…for their lovely linen clothing their chatter conveys no elegance or grace about them. I steal a glance at the man across the aisle who, miraculously, is snoring. I’m jealous and pray for the medicine to kick in and knock me out. Can we leave now? I spur on the pilot telepathically. The women’s conversation is reaching slurred decibels, and along come the ‘clones’ to ask them to settle down.
Jordan took a break from writing her report and lifted her long lashes to meet the brown eyes of the airline manager. They were set back too deep in his head and it took her a few minutes to put her finger on what was askew. When she had, she spoke.
“And that’s when they decided to haul me off the plane too. I don’t even know those women. Thank God,” she added in an undertone. “Of course I smell like alcohol, do you know how much there is in liquid medicine, or do you need to see my used Kleenex to convince you? And come on, how can I smoke without fire? I had no matches, no lighter, no nothing. You can ask that woman at the check-in counter for it. She’s probably lighting up in the employee lounge right now, and that being said maybe you should check out your crew more thoroughly. I swear, I’m going to sue this airline! No, in fact, I’m going to the newspaper. And I’d better get all my money back!”
“Ok, ok, OK Miss Daniels, I believe you.” Michael Yarde had heard enough. This girl could talk. “You’re upset understandably, but obviously not intoxicated. I apologize profusely for the way you were treated, and if you will avoid going to court, or the press for that matter, I will make sure that you are well compensated for your trouble. We will also make arrangements to rebook you first class to Rhode Island. Unfortunately, all our flights for the rest of the weekend are on hold due to inclement weather. We can have you out first thing on Monday morning.”
A few more days in paradise didn’t sound bad at all.
“You know what? I’ll call and let you know what day is convenient for me to leave. That is, unless you’d like a front-page spread…”
“That’s just fine, Miss Daniels.” Yardie managed through gritted teeth.
“Great. Last thing…” she sniffed, “I’ll need to have that in writing.”
Less-ipe
[1 min read]
So my sister said that there’s a candle in Bim that smells like my grandmother’s pumpkin fritters. You’ll find out more about the candle maker in my I’m Crushing On section, but here’s Granny with the fritter less-ipe, because some smells your stomach just can’t pass up.
Bite-sized Bible
[1 min read but take a few more]
The word of God is incredibly sensory, and our sense of smell is not left out. My dear friend and mentor Jennifer McKesey recently shared this verse…
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35
She compared the fragrance of the presence of the Lord to the smell of fresh bread baking. What is it about that particular aroma that pulls us in and invites and fills us? Those who know say it’s a complex makeup of notes but if you’re baking and your kitchen smells like heaven, the tiny granules of yeast are likely the chief contributing element. Modern Cuisinist says, “the yeast cells produce chemicals that break down during baking into delicious-smelling aromatics.” And we just love to smell it.
Jesus said His kingdom is like the yeast that works its way all through the flour. Not only does it spread and gain increase and influence, often working in the background, but if we allow the heat of sacrifice and testing to be applied to our lives the fragrance of His love and goodness will spread as a testimony to the whole world. Jesus wants us to be fed and satisfied with Him, to not fill our appetites with natural things that won’t sustain, but to be drawn by the aroma that surrounds Him into knowing Him more. It was He who said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” May we approach and eat of every good thing He has to offer us today. (Other scriptures Matthew 4:4 and Luke 13:20-21.)
Fun Fact
There’s a perfume called Bois Farine that some say smells like “an extraordinary union of enchanted woods and baking bread. It’s very pricey, and was probably very hard to perfect. Would you give it a go?
I’m Crushing On
The newly launched @nativecandlesbb with their swoon-worthy signature scents (East Coast Road and Tobacco & Sugar Cane for example) and seasonal scents (like Old Years Night, Midnight Mass and Honey Ginger). Tammy, you really came out blazing with these (no pun intended). As far as I am aware, these are only available in Barbados for now, so buy them up Bajans, and eat your heart out everyone else. You and me both. Let you know when they start shipping.
These other ways to make your home smell amazing.
This perfume-personality profile that may or may not be spot on.
This guide on designing an aromatic herb garden including planting directions and additional uses, and
These ten herbs that grow well on the window sill.
This tip for migraines that gets a thumbs up from @dwayneohoward.
Keep peppermint and mandarin essential oils handy. Both are said to be relieving for migraines. I usually just pop some drops of each on a washcloth and my husband keeps it near his nose while he rests. By all reports, it helps.
Dr Teal’s anything. But the eucalyptus and spearmint or lavender lines are the most. Talk about scent heaven. Their bath soaks and bubbles are the best. They also have a new shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner is supposed to be free of sulfates, parabens, silicones and gluten and between the smell, the reasonable detangle and the creaminess I’d have to say it’s not bad at all. Especially since I can’t get my hands on @healthykinksbotanicals right now. Baby, I needed to test your conditioner for science. For science, babe.
This new and improved version of the Inspire Bracelets I introduced to you last time. I wasn’t going to include them this month but when I thought they couldn’t get any cuter, they wowed me with a new design that has an adjustable clasp, that pretty little charm thingy, and now they even have a few inscriptions in Spanish. And still hypoallergenic—no lead, no nickel—and real gemstone beads. It’s like, just take my money.
You can still apply my code TAOHOWARD to save 20% off a gift for her or him. I’ll get a little something back if you do, so if you purchase let me know so I can thank you. They also have Black Friday deals right now on some styles up to 30% off. The smell of savings people. (Didn’t think I could tie it back in, did ya?)
Love Letters
Dear Newcomers: Lovely to have you at the table today. Stick around for a while.
Dear Old Faithfuls, especially the person who sent me that sweet email: Thank you for coming by and hanging in. You’re the reason I keep showing up.
Dear New Penpal: Thank you for my snail mail all the way from Singapore. It was so lovely to get your letter! Shout out for adding some magic to my mundane.
Dear Early-Bird Gifties: Thanks to those who commissioned your watercolor Christmas cards.
Dear Late-Bird Worm Getters: This is the last week for physical Christmas orders unless you live closeby. After that, I will only be available for commissions for digital art (you print yourself). However if not time-sensitive, watercolour cards, bookmarks and small paintings can still be ordered for other occasions.
Dear People Looking Forward To Our Advent Devotional: Stay tuned for how you can RSVP to A Holy Invitation devotional. Advent starts Nov 29 and we’ll be posting more info this week on how you can get your hands on it. Until then, here’s a thought from Day 12.
See you all again next month. Feel free to share your thoughts, or this newsletter, with a few friends you think may like to receive it.
Perfume poured out in public is stored up in secret.