I have congenital anosmia. This means I have no sense of smell, and i never have, and most likely never will. Alot of people tell me I'm lucky because of this. But Im not lucky. Whenever I tell people to please not say I'm lucky or ask me to smell something, they still do. The asking me to smell stuff is honestly more of an accident, which I can understand. But I hate when they say I'm lucky! Its not lucky, its a disability.
I know someone with anosmia. Knowing someone with such a disability, it has made us extremely aware of just how prevalent smell is in every day life, how often it's brought up, and the issues that can come from not having it.
Here are some issues that can cause:
-You cannot smell gas, chemical leaks, mold, etc.
-You cannot smell when something is burning.
-You cannot smell if something is spoiled or rotten.
-You cannot smell food in general.
-You cannot smell nature.
-You cannot smell hygiene or cleaning products.
-You cannot smell your clothes.
-You cannot smell your own body.
-You cannot smell your house.
-If you have an animal that tends to urinate/spray or otherwise leave smelly messes around the house, you cannot smell where it is, and are out of luck if it dries in an inconspicuous location. (Saying this as a person living in a household with cats who have adopted spraying as a behavior.)
The list goes on and on. An inability to smell can be inconvenient in some cases (which is already enough to constitute disability), but it can also be downright dangerous (with the inability to smell chemicals, mold, spoiled food, fires, etc.)
