Last March, I went to Cairo for just under 24 hours. Here’s the inspiration for November’s scent of the month…
As the plane was touching down in Cairo, I got a text message from Russ. He was at the vet with Roxy, my beloved dog. Roxy had a tumor. It had originated from her spine, so none of the regular vet visits had caught it. It was inoperable.
The vet was recommending that Russ put Roxy to sleep.
They wanted to know what I wanted to do.
Lots of backstory about Roxy, but it’ll have to be a story for another day… suffice to say, she was my sunshine and my moonlight and all the stars in the sky. She was an absolute delight. She was part of my soul and I was part of hers.
I asked if I could think about it.
I went to the hotel at midnight and went to sleep… I had been in transit for about 21 hours and I didn’t want to make decisions in that state. Before I went to sleep, I looked out on the garden and the moon was rising over the pyramids, which were looming hazily in the darkness.
In the morning, I had coffee on the balcony.
It was the most beautiful hotel I could imagine. This was the trip I had dreamed of for my whole life… and yet… something was more important.
Cairo would be there forever (or at least for the rest of my lifetime), but Roxy would not. And Russ needed me there to cope with the whole situation. Because of many situations in my life, I am uniquely capable of handling the abyss of loss… and that has some benefits. Russ and Roxy needed me, and I am honored to be sharing this life and this lifetime with such outstanding creatures.
I decided to fly home on the next flight.
But when I got home, I gave Russ my magical and very specific olfactory memory of Cairo… woodsmoke and sandalwood. We added amber for a deeper richness. I knew Cairo would be there waiting, and that this scent would be a thread that could loosely tie me to the place that was so meaningful to me and to my father (which is also another story for another time).
It has taken me a while to announce the scent because of… well… probably clear from the story. But a couple days before Dia de los Muertos, I offer you November’s scent of the month: CAIRO.
Pre-order your bottle of limited edition CAIRO Cologne here:
Limited Edition, numbered 100 ml: https://liveoutlaw.com/products/cairo-cologne-novembers-scent-of-the-month
15 ml Sample Size: https://liveoutlaw.com/products/cairo-sample-cologne-novembers-scent-of-the-month
