You’re leaving a lecture, feeling completely lost, with no idea as to what just happened.
You’re leaving a test, feeling completely helpless, wondering how this can be your major if you can’t even get a good grade.
Then, you open the doors and step outside and you’re greeted with that sweet and lovely smell of Mal- O-Meal being made just down the hill. For me, whenever I smell this I can’t help but crack a little smile.
In a way, I feel reminded of why I’m here. I remember touring St. Olaf, unsure of what I was doing. Then the tour guide pointed out that sometimes the campus smells like chocolate chip cookies and I felt this certain feeling of comfort. I chose this school because of its close knit community and rigor. Sometimes I think that smell wafts through campus and reminds me of why I’m here and all the possibilities that I have.
I think it also relieves stress, which is quite necessary at this stage in the semester. The Malt-O-Meal smell seems to calm me down and ground me again. Because sometimes all you have to do is stop and take a deep breath.