anecdote re smell and memory
Several times before, I've had a huge swath of memories pop back into my awareness at the notice of a simple smell. Last night I was riding home, perhaps a bit hungry, and the funniest thing triggered it. It was just the smell of a certain flavoring used in the TV dinner version of mexican rice. But with that recollection came the feeling of being secure and safe and most of all loved, with my mom and dad and brother, back in the old house in KC. This pervasive feeling of being loved and cared for suddenly stood out as of great importance. And I wondered to myself, am I giving this to my children? Do they feel loved? Will they have the same wonderful realization some day of the water they swim in? At that moment, as these memories were flooding through my mind, I couldn't help but think this is a more valuable gift than any material wealth.