@Raymond Reeves You exemplify and embody a life of care, love and selflessness -- it is an honor to know you, sir. I have been praying for our brother @Georgi Zayakov Life has some very deep valleys, known to almost all of us. Would that we all knew how precious, important, loved and necessary we each were to those in our lives. We should all show our families, co-workers, passersby -- and most importantly ourselves -- LOVE! I am strong enough in my identity (I think) to shout LOVE from the rooftops of the world so that all might ascertain that they are the masterpiece of creation; indeed, they are the reason for creation.

I need to enjoy what I have, not pursue those I do not.

It has taken me almost two years and several thousand dollars to understand this statement. Well done.

I have only begun in the last 6 months to accept that I need to spend to get what I want. I even purchased Reflection 45 recently. However, as I have said, I take my wife and five kids out to dinner and drop $500, so why should I be offended if I buy Amouage Beach Hut Man for $170; or Refleciton 45 for $255, when a full bottle will last me at least two years. So, now, I am not longer put off by higher prices, although, I admit that I do not even look at Louis Vuitton as an option...because of price. Best Values: 1] Guerlain L'Homme Ideal Extreme; 2] Pasha de Cartier Parfum; 3] Versace Eros Parfum; 4] Missoni Wave; 5] Mancera Vetiver Sensuel; 6] Versace Dylan Blue; 7] Polo 67 EDP

@Lon Chaneyfield I have considered it but I don’t know much about refill procedures or savings, but I would first need a decant. Maybe someday, my friend! Hope you are well!

I am fascinated by your expressions of the constrained and orderly approach to vision and artistry. Your STEM background seems to emerge and inform your beliefs on art. Perhaps you might prefer DaVinci to Pollack; Mozart to Ellington; Tolstoy to Joyce. Are there rules to art? Who is the genius in The Fountainhead: Roarke or Keating? Do notes require precision as a Mozart requiem or are they improvisational as jazz? I think that you capture the essence of the art of perfumery as there must be "rules," boundaries, edges to grasp in the process or one is left with mud. Other mediums of art allow for the Jackson Pollacks, Duke Ellingtons, James Joyces, IM Pei's, but perfumery demands a context of math and precision from which other artistic mediums are free. Great post -- thank you for bringing art into a daily life that can anesthetize with the mundane and routine.