sunshine,
I tell myself that I dont smell all the time and some people dont smell me very much anyway.
I know I used to enjoy wearing nice expensive perfumes, and some people would comment that I always smelled really nice. But unfortunately I work with someone who can smell me very clearly, and whenever I have worn anything perfumed, even a bit of hand cream, he literally holds his nose, it seems to really irritate his nose and he is keen to let me know! So now I wear non fragranced products. I dont want to make his life any more unhappy than it clearly is (by the look on his miserable gob)
On getting out amongst people, I think by avoiding folk you are cutting down on the negative encounters but also the positive ones, like the one you had in the shop. It does make me feel a lot better about human nature when i know someone can smell a horrible smell coming from me, their body language tells me its so horrible that I would probably be gagging if it was the other way round!

, but they keep it together enough to carry on a conversation, and be really nice to me. By avoiding people you are stopping yourself from having those life-enhancing encounters with people, which , after all, is what life is about, good positive communaition with your fellow man
