Special Bonds & An Unparalleled Community
It’s been a little over half a year since I first joined ScentsAbility Candles, and yet the bonds and friendships I’ve made over this experience feel eternal.
The first day I stepped foot in the ScentsAbility candle shop, I immediately felt a sense of comfort wash over me. After familiarizing myself with the shop’s layout, I decided that I should interview the artisans to get to know them. The first artisan I spoke to was Jessica Schmidt, daughter of one of ScentsAbility Candles’ founders, Bonnie Schmidt. Without a doubt, Jessica is the kindest soul I have ever met. She has the ability to truly care about everyone she meets, including me. Every day, Jessica will sit with me while I wait for TOPS and helps me know when they arrive, even calling herself my lifeguard. Because of my visual impairment, it’s difficult to see the TOPS vehicle myself. During things like the Empower Ability classes, Jessica always tries to make sure I’m included. She never fails to give us hugs and let us know how much she loves us any chance she gets, a sentiment that we are more than happy to return. Of course, we’re working on the hugs, since it can be pretty dangerous to run up to a stranger and hug them.
The next person I interviewed that day was Lexy Anderson who, as it turns out, is the daughter of the co-founder of ScentsAbility Candles, Denise. Lexy has a very witty and sarcastic sense of humor, kind of like me in some cases. I personally love sarcastic humor, which makes our talks all the more fun. Sometimes, we chat about Kahoot’s that I work on. But for the most part, we just talk about random things while she keeps me company during lunch.
About a week after I first joined ScentsAbility, I met Michael and Khari, Michael being Jessica’s boyfriend, and Khari being a long-time friend. Over the course of my journey with ScentsAbility, I’ve noticed that the three of us can relate to each other on a lot of things. Because all three of us use TOPS, we understand it pretty well by now. For better or for worse, we usually have a lot to say about it. I remember there was one day when we were talking about TOPS for hours on end, and we were all dying of laughter the whole time. Let’s just say I needed a lot of water by the end of it. I also learn a lot from Khari when it comes to business, credit, or SSI. Of course, with his father being a businessman, he has a lot of knowledge to offer. It’s a genuinely good time just hanging out with them and talking about whatever. And with Michael being the spokesperson, and him being very good at talking, I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about in the future.
Alba, Jessica’s and Lexy’s caregiver, really means a lot to me too. She always checks on me to make sure I’m doing alright, even making hot chocolate sometimes. Her hot chocolate is really good by the way, some of the best I’ve ever had. Every now and then, we will talk about our families and traditions, especially during the holidays. Most of the time, Alba is the first person in the factory when TOPS drops me off, and looks out for me whenever they are slacking. But if Alba isn’t there before I get there, it’s usually her cousin Cesar, who also works at the factory.
Of course, none of what I mentioned so far would be possible if it wasn’t for Bonnie. Since she’s known most of the artisans here for years, she understands them well and knows how to keep the peace. Jessica really takes after her a lot in that way. As for candle descriptions, all of them were written by Bonnie. I’m currently working on my candle, but when I read what she did with the others, I was speechless. It was like I was reading poetry. It was definitely a great inspiration for the candle that I’m working on. Reading it also gave me motivation for my writing. Thanks to Bonnie, ScentsAbility Candles is more than an organization. It is a familial workplace, where thanks to her connection to everybody here, she is like a second mother to all of us.
My tasks as blog writer, and Bonnie’s as the manager of ScentsAbility Candles, are made significantly easier thanks to Danielle. It’s thanks to her that my blogs turn out as good as they do, giving me great advice for my writing of these blogs. And during downtime, we’ll sometimes talk about random things. It’s nice talking about my personal life, although I don’t do it that often. ScentsAbility has that effect on me I guess. She helps Bonnie out a lot when it comes to planning events, managing orders for the scented products, and many other things. Even these past few weeks, when Bonnie has been out of the factory for personal reasons, Danielle has been holding down the fort and running the show in her stead. She also does a lot in the way of photography, making sure to capture every joyful moment here at ScentsAbility Candles.
I could never forget all the friends I’ve made here. Jessica’s and Alba’s compassion, Lexy’s humor, Michael’s charisma, Khari’s wisdom, Cesar’s kindness, and Bonnie’s and Danielle’s understanding. These things mean the world to me and make working at ScentsAbility Candles a truly great experience. I’m looking forward to having many more great journeys with ScentsAbility Candles in the future. No matter where they are, hold the ones you love closest to your heart. And no matter who you are, do what you can, the best that you can, with what you have.
The first day I stepped foot in the ScentsAbility candle shop, I immediately felt a sense of comfort wash over me. After familiarizing myself with the shop’s layout, I decided that I should interview the artisans to get to know them. The first artisan I spoke to was Jessica Schmidt, daughter of one of ScentsAbility Candles’ founders, Bonnie Schmidt. Without a doubt, Jessica is the kindest soul I have ever met. She has the ability to truly care about everyone she meets, including me. Every day, Jessica will sit with me while I wait for TOPS and helps me know when they arrive, even calling herself my lifeguard. Because of my visual impairment, it’s difficult to see the TOPS vehicle myself. During things like the Empower Ability classes, Jessica always tries to make sure I’m included. She never fails to give us hugs and let us know how much she loves us any chance she gets, a sentiment that we are more than happy to return. Of course, we’re working on the hugs, since it can be pretty dangerous to run up to a stranger and hug them.
The next person I interviewed that day was Lexy Anderson who, as it turns out, is the daughter of the co-founder of ScentsAbility Candles, Denise. Lexy has a very witty and sarcastic sense of humor, kind of like me in some cases. I personally love sarcastic humor, which makes our talks all the more fun. Sometimes, we chat about Kahoot’s that I work on. But for the most part, we just talk about random things while she keeps me company during lunch.
About a week after I first joined ScentsAbility, I met Michael and Khari, Michael being Jessica’s boyfriend, and Khari being a long-time friend. Over the course of my journey with ScentsAbility, I’ve noticed that the three of us can relate to each other on a lot of things. Because all three of us use TOPS, we understand it pretty well by now. For better or for worse, we usually have a lot to say about it. I remember there was one day when we were talking about TOPS for hours on end, and we were all dying of laughter the whole time. Let’s just say I needed a lot of water by the end of it. I also learn a lot from Khari when it comes to business, credit, or SSI. Of course, with his father being a businessman, he has a lot of knowledge to offer. It’s a genuinely good time just hanging out with them and talking about whatever. And with Michael being the spokesperson, and him being very good at talking, I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about in the future.
Alba, Jessica’s and Lexy’s caregiver, really means a lot to me too. She always checks on me to make sure I’m doing alright, even making hot chocolate sometimes. Her hot chocolate is really good by the way, some of the best I’ve ever had. Every now and then, we will talk about our families and traditions, especially during the holidays. Most of the time, Alba is the first person in the factory when TOPS drops me off, and looks out for me whenever they are slacking. But if Alba isn’t there before I get there, it’s usually her cousin Cesar, who also works at the factory.
Of course, none of what I mentioned so far would be possible if it wasn’t for Bonnie. Since she’s known most of the artisans here for years, she understands them well and knows how to keep the peace. Jessica really takes after her a lot in that way. As for candle descriptions, all of them were written by Bonnie. I’m currently working on my candle, but when I read what she did with the others, I was speechless. It was like I was reading poetry. It was definitely a great inspiration for the candle that I’m working on. Reading it also gave me motivation for my writing. Thanks to Bonnie, ScentsAbility Candles is more than an organization. It is a familial workplace, where thanks to her connection to everybody here, she is like a second mother to all of us.
My tasks as blog writer, and Bonnie’s as the manager of ScentsAbility Candles, are made significantly easier thanks to Danielle. It’s thanks to her that my blogs turn out as good as they do, giving me great advice for my writing of these blogs. And during downtime, we’ll sometimes talk about random things. It’s nice talking about my personal life, although I don’t do it that often. ScentsAbility has that effect on me I guess. She helps Bonnie out a lot when it comes to planning events, managing orders for the scented products, and many other things. Even these past few weeks, when Bonnie has been out of the factory for personal reasons, Danielle has been holding down the fort and running the show in her stead. She also does a lot in the way of photography, making sure to capture every joyful moment here at ScentsAbility Candles.
I could never forget all the friends I’ve made here. Jessica’s and Alba’s compassion, Lexy’s humor, Michael’s charisma, Khari’s wisdom, Cesar’s kindness, and Bonnie’s and Danielle’s understanding. These things mean the world to me and make working at ScentsAbility Candles a truly great experience. I’m looking forward to having many more great journeys with ScentsAbility Candles in the future. No matter where they are, hold the ones you love closest to your heart. And no matter who you are, do what you can, the best that you can, with what you have.
