For me, it happened in the middle of Wal-Mart. I was walking down the aisle and it hit me right in the face, or the nose, to be more precise. I looked to my left to see an older lady walking by and smiling at me. I was reduced to tears in the middle of Wal-Mart.
All of a sudden, I remembered being in my grandmother's blue Lincoln. She picked me up from school and headed to McDonald's for an after school treat, usually a hot fudge sundae. Then, we were shopping for a wedding dress. Then we were at church. She was sitting right beside me in the pew with her arm around me. It was like she was right beside me if I closed my eyes. Then, as quickly as came, it was gone, leaving me sobbing in the middle of the aisle.
The olfactory sense is a powerful thing. My grandmother wore L'Air Du Temps by Nina Ricci. She wore it for as long as I can remember. It was her signature scent. Anytime I smell it, it takes me back to happy times spent with her. She's been gone for nine years next month and I still can't smell it without crying.
My sweet grandparents.
The smell of fresh shelled peas reminds me of spending time at my aunt's house, where my mom grew up with her grandmother. We would sit on the porch and shell peas or sometimes in front of the TV in the living room, if the soaps were on.
Jovan Wild Musk Oil (I believe is what it's called) reminds me of my mom. I rarely smell it anymore, but when I do, it takes me back to being a little girl, maybe 4, and riding in the car next to my mom. Back before car seats were the law, I would stand beside her when she drove. I still remember the little brown bottle with the little wand in it. It smells like love to me.
The smell of roses always reminds me of my wedding day, the happiest day of my life.
What smells take you back to another time?
This is so sweet & so true!
ReplyDeleteSounds weird..but the smell of frying bread reminds me of my GreatGrandmother..she would make 'pan bread' (I guess she cooked it an iron skillet). I would bust through her front door and tear back to the kitchen. The bread was always sitting on the table - like she had just made it. What's funny is that my mom and her siblings did the same thing when they were my age. Oh..and her house was always hot as H#LL - maybe because of all the frying :)
What powerful memories!
ReplyDeleteThe smell of lillies reminds me of playing outside when I was a kid. So carefree and happy back then.
There is a certain cigarette smell that gets me too. It reminds me of hanging out with my high school friends in parking lots for hours joking around. I miss those days a lot.
The smell of yeast reminds me of baking as a child but it also reminds me of being in college. There was a beer factory near campus so it always smelled like yeast!
I love the smell of fresh cut grass - that smell calms me and takes me right back to childhood, although I'm not sure why! 'White Linen' by Estee Lauder is what my grandmother wore, and like you, that smell can stop me in my tracks.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful wedding picture! Love the setting!
For some odd reason the smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of my grandfather. Freshly washed sheets hung outside to dry remind me of my mom and my grandmother. I guess that's why I always buy that scent for air freshener.
ReplyDeleteI can't really answer this one since I can't smell, but it baffles me how smells can be related so strongly to memories. I guess I just have no frame of reference for that. I think to compensate for lack of olfactory senses, my mind takes a lot of "pictures" and that's how I remember stuff.
ReplyDeleteYes!! Aqua Net hairspray and Jergens (almond scented) lotion remind me of my Granny!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
thanks for the memories!! :D
Well, this is going to sound kind of weird, but my grandma's house had a certain smell to it. Now I know that it was a mildewy smell (they lived in a damp forested area and we later discovered leaks under the house), but I didn't think it smelled bad, it just smelled like grandma's house. Once several years ago I walked into an antique shop that was in an old building and was hit head on with the same smell. Even though it's not really a good scent, it was a good memory.
ReplyDeleteOK, first. Is that your wedding picture? I completely forgot what I was going to say when I saw it. You look like a princess!! I love it.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to the sniffer.
I'm copycatting Denise about the fresh sheets. I have the same sensation.
The smell of turkey roasting ALWAYS makes me think of my mom too. I also have a scent that would not be pleasant to anyone else, but for some reason reminds me of my dad. It's sort of an oil/grease smell. He spent a lot of time in the gauge lab at his plant when I was growing up, and I think it is that smell. Not sure, but it gives me the warm fuzzies.
And your grandmother was pretty!
ReplyDeleteOkay, girls. I have to add two more I just thought of. Pond's cold cream reminds me of my Grandma that passed away a few months ago and like Debbie, car grease smell reminds me of my grandaddy pictured above. He was a mechanic. Sawdust reminds me of my daddy.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently on a hot date with my Hubby for the day so I'll check in with everyone later!
Oh, it is interesting what the power of smell can do. I especially love your wedding photo!
ReplyDeleteJane
Uh oh... don't come knockin' if the blog is rockin'?
ReplyDeletescooting out of here now.
The scent memory will only expand as you age. I remember so many scents, I have to avoid some because they are part of bad memories.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother wore the fragrance Windsong and at that time it came in a glass bottle that was shaped like a crown. I do have a bottle of it on the shelf so I can open the top and experience her memory, but it's not in a crown bottle.