WELL-DRESSED BLISS
And ignoring the funk...
I was telling my husband about all the things I loved most about the program—the beautiful stately homes with their immaculate decorations, the manicured gardens and ivy-covered balconies, the horse-drawn carriages, dressing for dinner, and the dancing! I love to watch the dancing.
The only thing he said was, “I bet everyone stunk.”
This peculiar conversation occurred after I encouraged him to join me in watching the Downton Abbey television series. I was camped out on the couch in my favorite Black stretchy pants, and I had assembled my movie-watching kit that consists of wine, popcorn, and chocolate. My intention was to binge-watch the first season all over again. After watching the first episode, I doubt that my husband made it through the second one. His takeaway was that everyone was wearing way too many clothes … and he never saw anyone showering.
To his point, everyone did wear a lot of clothes. The gentlemen were always sporting a coat and often an ascot or scarf around their necks. The ladies were resplendent in long dresses and gloves. The hats and shoes were some of my favorite accessories. Long riding boots and hats adorned with peacock feathers and scarves … sigh!
But it’s true. I can’t remember a single episode that included any member of the Crawley family in the shower. So, I had to concede to his point. Everyone probably smelled.
But did they know it?
Have you ever gone away on vacation, and when you returned home and walked into the house, noticed that it smelled a bit funky? And after searching for the offensive odor, you didn’t really notice it anymore … so you concluded that it was just the house smell?
Nobody wants to be a smelly person; I know I don’t. I’ve been thinking about that recently because I’ve switched to using deodorant only—nothing with an antiperspirant. The scientific proof may not be conclusive, but the argument is pretty convincing. I’m on board to do just about anything to avoid Alzheimer’s or breast cancer.
The calendar has now turned to November, and Christmas shopping is in full swing. I want to wear my boots, scarves, and sweaters! So here is my quandary. In Florida, the temperature rarely dips below fifty degrees. If I wear the aforementioned boots, scarves, and sweaters, it’s highly likely that I will be sweating … and I will become that smelly person! I’ve always had “healthy” sweat glands. That’s what my mom used to say—it was good to sweat out the toxins because it meant that your body was working. I told my kids the same thing. Sweating runs in the family.
The real-life people portrayed in the TV show probably did shower, and they also probably smelled. Perhaps the solution is to do as the Crawleys did … put fashion above funky and enjoy my well-dressed bliss.
