April 10th, 2008 - Sena Quist
So my brother, Donald Quist, the author, approaches me. Asks me if I’d write something. When an author asks you to do something that is their craft, you say no.
I work in healthcare. I talk to older adults everyday, and some days it's nonsensical speech as we try to navigate whatever stage of Dementia we are in that day. I am not a writer, I can write, but I’m no writer.
So, I said yes.
Even as I type this I’m still trying to figure out why I said yes, and where the heck I was ten years ago.
I know three things:
I was in college.
I had cut my hair pretty short.
April 10th 2008 was a Thursday.
In all likelihood, I was preparing for some party or event, and I am so troubled I cannot remember, because I received the memory award in first grade (thanks Ms. Sabella/meow meow).
I decided to go to Facebook, push some filters and to my surprise, nothing happened on April 10th 2008. However, what caught my eye, was what happened on April 6th 2008 at 5:31pm. A comment from a friend, Juliette, which read, “So I was looking at tht pic of u getting a tattoo or sumthing eually as painful and all of a sudden, i am overwhelmed by the Smell of Sena. it’s a complex fragrance of tht jojaba hair oil, a cereal of the fruity kind, and lotion. the plain kind. weird huh? <3”.
As odd as this description was, I found myself smiling, then nodding in agreement. I believe I even said, “nailed it”!
While I barely remember anything from April of 2008 or much of my friendship with Juliette, I remember random facts. Facts like smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. So I closed my eyes and tried to remember all of the things which created the ‘Smell of Sena’. To this day, I still smell like that.
After 10 years, my essence is still the same. Especially the plain lotion and fruity cereal.
Complex, yet ordinary.
Fun but serious.
While so much has changed in a decade, I still remain myself.
Sena (rhymes with Jenna) Quist is a Jesus-loving, jeep-riding, dog mom of 3 who loves to laugh and is made of equal parts sugar and spice--maybe a little heavier on the spice. She enjoys anything outdoors, cooking and volunteer work. It is rare to see her without a smile. This is also the same bio for her dating profile.
Sena urges you to consider contributing to Compassion International. Compassion International is a child-advocacy ministry that pairs compassionate people with those who are suffering from poverty. The ministry releases children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty. The goal is for each child to become a responsible and fulfilled adult. Visit www.compassion.com/donate.