Who Nose Where The Time Goes
I had a strange experience this morning as I was leaving for work. A smell wafted into my nose that immediately sent me back to my old, old apartment. I think it's just the smell of an apartment air conditioner. Kind of a wet, swampy, yet kind of pleasant and cool smell.
I often think about the olfactory sense and its relation to memory. More than any other sense, and I think this is true for anyone, the sense of smell can transport me to a time and place now past. A missing smell can also alert me that times have changed. When I go to my parents' house now, I still take in a breath to smell the kitty litter that coincided with the existence of our wonderful kitty, my feline brother. But that smell isn't there anymore.
When I smell slightly burned scrambled eggs, I think immediately of brunches at my dad's parents' house when I was a kid.
When I smell brownies, I think of my grandma and the amazing Texas Sheet Cakes she used to whip up.
The smell of vanilla still takes me to my dorm room when I was a freshman in college ( I had purchased a vanilla sachet for myself)
So I am curious. Do smells trigger time travel in your life? What smells have the most powerful ties for you?
I often think about the olfactory sense and its relation to memory. More than any other sense, and I think this is true for anyone, the sense of smell can transport me to a time and place now past. A missing smell can also alert me that times have changed. When I go to my parents' house now, I still take in a breath to smell the kitty litter that coincided with the existence of our wonderful kitty, my feline brother. But that smell isn't there anymore.
When I smell slightly burned scrambled eggs, I think immediately of brunches at my dad's parents' house when I was a kid.
When I smell brownies, I think of my grandma and the amazing Texas Sheet Cakes she used to whip up.
The smell of vanilla still takes me to my dorm room when I was a freshman in college ( I had purchased a vanilla sachet for myself)
So I am curious. Do smells trigger time travel in your life? What smells have the most powerful ties for you?