Walking into my house is like walking into a candle store. The details of each person’s day are soaked into their clothes and hang in the air around them. My father arrives home from the cabinet shop with the aroma that I remember from my childhood: Old Spice and wood shavings. My brother carries the scent of early mornings – sweat and coffee. I smell like whatever cheap perfume I chose that morning, occasionally of freshly baked sweets, and always of my dog, Chester.

The most comforting fragrance in the world is my mother in the evening, getting ready to go out. Calvin Klein’s Obsession fills the room with an earthy, warm scent that never ceases to remind me of her. Freshly painted nails tap the counter impatiently – click click click. When she steps out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, I catch the aroma that is completely unique to the woman I hope to become. The smell of comfort, confidence, and a caring mother.