Scent-Sational*
My monitor fritzed out Wednesday night, leaving me computer deprived for three days. It sucked, but I’m back.Studies say that scent is our strongest sense. Supposedly you can remember scents and their associations for years, and I was thinking about this the other day, wondering which scents would stick with me from college and my early twenties.
The smell of hickory smoke always makes me think of my parents’ restaurant and the oh-so-tasty hickory burgers we make there. Any time I’ve ordered something labeled hickory on a menu elsewhere, I have been disappointed. Nothing ever meets my high expectations.
Project always wore the same cologne, every day – maybe he still does. Bright, not too strong, and sometimes mingled with marijuana smoke,** it was good on him. I would spend the night at his apartment and my coat would still smell like him three days later, slightly comforting, slightly disconcerting, and potentially embarrassing. *** Occasionally I walk by someone at a party or in a store who wears the same thing, and I have to do a double take to make sure that he isn’t lurking nearby, waiting to call me Midget.
I wore a specific brand of lotion daily the summer before my junior year of high school, something with a really light, perfume-y scent and just a bit of shimmer to highlight the tan that I, admittedly, still thought made me look healthy. I didn’t do anything spectacular that summer, though I did go to the lake weekly. Even though the scent isn’t tropical or summery itself, I associate it with sand and sun every time I open the bottle.
There are seasonal associations for me too, things that go back years. Roast turkey smells like Thanksgiving, gingerbread and peppermint remind me of Christmas, burning leaves make me think of Halloween,**** and smoldering charcoal brings summer to the front of my mind. Certain scents bring up an emotional connection, though not specific memories. Coffee is energizing, clean laundry is comforting, vodka is sickening, and books are relaxing.
So what is my point? I can’t say that I have one. I just find it interesting that one sense can have such an impact on our day to day lives simply due to the memories we associate.
Nope, there is no point. I’ll find something interesting to write about soon and really get back into the swing of things. I promise.
*Oh yes, it is cheesy. Give me a break.
**No, I never smoked. Anything. And I wasn’t exactly thrilled that he did, but I was blinded by my own stupidity.
***Embarrassing if I smelled like weed, especially since I don’t smoke it.
****Most people would say school starting, but it’s August when school starts here and is nothing but hot and disgusting.
Labels: everyday musings, my insanity
posted by nicalyse @ 3:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home