Scientists have mapped out smells. They fall into basic categories: floral, minty, musky, foul (rotten eggs), resinous, and acrid (vinegar). Think of the various combinations like the primary colors on a color wheel. We all have our personal preferences as to our 'taste' (which has a direct relationship to odors) of smells-it is selective like our remembrances of the past. In fact, a major component of this selection process can be attributed to a smell that is associated with that specific memory.
We're all entrenched in one of the worst winter's on the history books. I'm longing for the faint smell of Spring in the air. Floral smells, like the lilac, or a bouquet of roses you might get for Valentine's Day, entice our sense of optimism. The bloom of flowers that Spring brings reminds us of the cycle and force of life. We take longer to inhale such a passionate reminder of expectancy and younger days.
Not all smells bring about happy or comforting memories. As a PK, my sister and I would be called upon to go with our dad to Nursing Homes to sing for the elderly residents. He would give a short devotion and Susie and I would sing a hymn or two. I selfishly resisted these visits. As soon as I walked in I could smell the air of staleness and antiseptic...the odor augmented the opposite of living, it captured a smell of decay and dying. I was repulsed. I felt like I couldn't breathe, it was so suffocating the words of a song would get caught in my throat. I'd do my part, and to tell the truth, many visits turned out giving me a sense of fulfillment with seniors, they'd be so grateful...but those smells.
My grandma Beavers' favorite cooking pan was a cast iron skillet. We would visit the farmstead in Southern Illinois often. The small farm house's coal burning stove greeted us with cozy warmth and the smell of its distinctive heat in the early morning. And I mean early. Every morning, as I slept on a folded-out couch, rendered the first clanking of pans and skillets; my ears picked up the consistent heavy clunk of grandma's iron skillet onto the stove's grate. I smelled a hint of gas as she lit the pilot light.
In just a matter of minutes, the sizzle and more vividly the volatile smell of frying bacon awakened all of my senses. It was robust; it aroused a youthful energy - it permeated deep into my permanent bank of happy memories.
What smells bring back clear and sense driven memories? Are they happy? Sad? Comforting? Go ahead, list them, write about them, think and frame that special moment in time. Then...inhale.