Constant Craving

I admit it: I have had a lifetime of craving things.

It’s not a new part of me. In fact, it’s probably the most recognizable part of me.

As a child, I remember being four and flipping a coin with my dad for the right to watch certain TV shows. Specifically, I needed my Munster’s fix.

As I grew, my cravings grew to include other categories. I used to really want those small plastic jewelry sets at the grocery store sold near the registers.

Do you remember those? On a piece of cardboard with princess colors? They usually had a small, empty perfume bottle, a bracelet, a necklace and maybe a tiara (only the really good ones). I think they cost a whole dollar. They  were the best!

Time crawled on and I craved all kinds of new things: records, Barbies (and her dream jet; that becomes relevant later in my life), movies, clothes, food, sweets, candy, cake. Uh oh…. I see where this is going…. And, at a point, I craved certain men.

First, I craved those I had no chance of meeting (Chad Everett and Donny Osmond), then those I did meet and got to know (I was much happier with craving Donny Osmond than a few of the men I’ve picked since). So, I really have lived a life of craving things.

Fast forward to now. I’m almost 50 (Wait, what? That’s too much fast-forwarding! Go back! Go back!). I thought nothing could surprise me. But surprise! I have a new craving: smells. Not just any smell (not like dirty sock smell or litter box smell); but really amazing, emotionally lifting smells.

About six months ago I was introduced to essential oils ~ really yummy oils.

Now, as a child of almost-hippies (almost, not totally, but maybe “suburban hippies” is appropriate), I’m not saying that oils are new to me. Yet they really have taken a new place in my life.

Thanks to the Groupon effect, I was lucky enough to buy a reflexology package ~ though I wasn’t sure I really believed the concept of a place on your feet for every place on your body. But, seriously, if someone was willing to rub my feet for thirty minutes, I was in! And that’s where this new craving started.

Danielle, who’s hands can bend metal with their strength, did things to my feet that can only be described as bliss. I am a flight attendant (remember the Barbie dream jet?) who refuses to give up her girlie-girl high heel shoes. Danielle was able to move all the built up agony out of my feet and really, I have to admit, out of a lot of places in my body.

Do I believe? I believe I feel a lot better every time I let her do her magic. So, sure, I believe. But she also gave me a bigger gift: a true appreciation of essential oils.

Danielle didn’t push them or promote them. She simply used them on me. And I was hooked. Instantly.

That velvety smell of lavender…. The clean, happy smell of lemon…. The sacred smell of frankincense…. They were all so wonderful to have on me when I was getting my feet restored. And afterwards, I could still smell the scents all day. It was so uplifting!

Then, thanks to Groupon (I blame them for a lot of things I’ve done this summer; let’s not talk about paddle boarding), I started getting facials. Again, essential oils played a huge part in the experience. Lavender at the beginning…. Lemon during the scrub (best face scrub ever; I’m still trying to convince the facialist to bottle it)…. Orange or eucalyptus at the end…. All were such pure, clean smells that stayed with me for the rest of the day.

Not long after, I realized I was craving lavender! I needed it. I wanted to smell it so much, I couldn’t believe it. I had to have a fix. I haven’t had a smell craving like that in my life. I’ve always enjoyed certain aromas (cupcakes, roses, puppy feet, gin and tonic); but I’ve never craved a smell. This was new.

I’ve been trying to figure out when I crave scents and why. I usually crave lavender when things seem a bit ‘stale’ in the afternoon. Not really stale, but just the feeling of stale. Like when you are in an office too long, or in my case, an airplane too long. Or in a car, or on the phone too long. Just kind of stale.

I also noticed how happy the lemon made me feel. Putting a couple of drops in a large glass of water was different than just squeezing in lemon juice. The aroma was much more intense. It helped me crave water over my Diet Coke. ~ And that right there is just short of miraculous.

So here we are today: Hi. My name is Kim and I am an aroma addict. I was hooked in the traditional way ~ a free sniff here, a free dab there. It was never enough.

I finally broke down and started buying oils for myself. Now I can use them to my heart’s content. When I crave lavender, I open my little bottle, take a few sniffs, maybe run a drop through my hair ~ and I feel better.

I had a lunch with a few friends last weekend. I took a bottle of Thieves Oil ~ a blend of clove, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus ~ and put a drop into my iced tea. They were curious, so I tipped my bottle into their tea. I think I’ve now hooked them, too, as all four asked me to get them a bottle!

Wanting to share this experience with others, I asked Danielle to bring me into the business. I am now a distributor for “Young Living Oils” ~ and I’m so excited!

I know there are worse things in this world to crave (two ex-boyfriends come to mind)….

I think I’m lucky to have finally found something that makes me happy without guilt, calories or harm to my body or the environment. I think I’m lucky the bottles are petite enough to go in my liquids carry-on limits. I know I’m lucky that Danielle introduced me to Young Living Oils. And I guess I should be really thankful that I’ve finally grown out of my craving for Donny Osmond.

Okay, I really haven’t. But that’s just between you and me.

Kimberly has been flying for a major air carrier for 25 years.

Her job feeds her habit of travel, meeting interesting people, and shopping in foreign grocery stores.

She is out numbered in her home by two cats, two frogs and over 40 plants.

Her favorite activities (besides shopping, flying, and scooping litter boxes) include hot yoga, anything British, and volunteer work.

Click “Young Living Oils” to find out more about Kim’s newest passion.

Follow Kim on twitter here: Kim Johnson