Can You Smell That?

It always amazes me how hearing a song can bring back a specific moment in time. I went to the Journey concert last night with my sister in law and we had a wonderful time.  With every song that was played, it took me back to some point in my adolescence.  Music can be the bridge between the present and past and I truly believe music can convey things that words alone cannot convey.

As I remembered these moments it seemed interesting to me that these memories were also accompanied by a strong sense of smell.  When I think back to my happiest moments in my childhood I cannot remember all the details but the one thing I can remember vividly are certain smells.  My grandmother’s house was always warm but it had the most amazing aroma when you walked in the door.  It was like a cross between chicken and noodles and apple pie.    When I smell tobacco and rubber/oil the presence of my father washes over like a tidal wave.  When I smell cow manure (I know gross) it reminds me of life in OK as a child.  

I have a very poor sense of smell in general and I cannot smell many things.  Skunks, bodily functions and natural gas escape my olfactory senses.  However I can smell people and I am not talking about their perfume or cologne.   Everyone seems to have their own scent.  I am not talking about foul, I have not showered in days odor, I am talking about that unique smell that everyone has.   My brother and mother smell the same to me.  My daughter and her father also have the same smell to me.  When Madison would get ill as a child, I could always tell when she had a fever because her scent became very different.  It is odd, however, I cannot for the life of me smell my son and that makes me rather sad.  I am guessing this is because he and I have the same smell.

These sudden rushes of memories are not always pleasant.  The smell of cherry reminds me of the fluoride I swallowed at the dentist office and I got very sick.  The smell of Captain Morgans transports me back a particular bar in OKC where I wound up tying my hair back with toilet paper and was dubbed Charmin for the rest of the evening.  

Regardless, I enjoy the times of reflection, good and bad.  I think my favorite smells in the entire world are: puppy breath, freshly mown grass and rain.  What smells make you remember?