Below is an essay I wrote for a contest called "The Old Spice Adventure." The gist is that they are sending two people across the world: one to go snowboarding in Switzerland; the other to surf in Fiji. The question to apply was, "What does your ideal job smell like?" There were also some key phrases I threw in there to increase my odds of winning ("explore where freshness comes from" and "smells like palm trees, sunshine and freedom"). With that said, check out my submission. Would you pick me?
Have you ever smelled the morning sun over an open sea? A neoprene wetsuit marinated in salt water? Or smoke pluming from a forest on the Burmese border? Have you ever inhaled the sweetness of a Jerusalem farmer’s market on the eve of Shabbat? The musk of incense permeating a Thai tailor’s shop? Or exhaust from a crowded longboat choking down the Mekong? I have smelled all these things and written about most. Because I love to travel and document my journeys. As a kid, I wanted to be a professional basketball player. But being short and Jewish squashed that dream long ago. Then one summer I lived aboard a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands, learning to sail and SCUBA dive while sleeping in a hammock for three weeks. That trip changed my life forever. In college, I discovered my talent and passion for writing. So I turned it into a full-time job. But I still sat at a desk under fluorescent guard from nine to five. I prefer natural light and making my own hours. So now I work freelance. I’m genetically predisposed to being outdoors anyway. And playing sports. I’ll conquer any game, especially if it’s played outside and competitively. My friends call me Pocket Hercules, but I don’t flaunt my physical prowess like an Ed Hardy-wearing roid-head. I am ripped for the sake of sport. For surfing and snowboarding. For winning. While some may get off to the smell of a new leather purse or a fresh pressed dollar bill, I get my olfactory kicks from trekking across foreign lands. I am the man for the Old Spice Adventure Internship Challenge because it is my destiny. But not in a religious or chick-flick sort of way. Traveling the world is what I do, and exploring where freshness comes from is a challenge I crave. So what does my ideal job smell like? It smells like paper, ink and the open sea. A rainforest at dawn. Sex Wax and fresh snow. It smells like palm trees, sunshine and freedom. And, it smells good!
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