I have always been intrigued by the power of smell. Not the sense just on its own, but the connection of scent and memory, the power scent has to evoke emotions or to recover a feeling from long ago, to send me back to a moment like no other sense can.
This happened just the other day.
The smell was of warm earth and fresh water. You know the way soil and foliage smell when it’s a little bit damp and been warmed by the sun? It’s rich and powerful, organic and sometimes maybe a little too strong and you taste it in the back of your throat. It was that smell. It was that smell woven into the smell of fresh flowing water. It’s the way lakes or rivers smell in the summer and it reminded me of so many sun-soaked and sparkling long summer days.
It reminded me of walks with my mom down by the marina in South Haven, Michigan; of the way the air smells when we walk on the pier at dusk. It reminded me of the stillness of the lake and the sky at that time of day.
It also reminded me of the wonderful chaos of the previous weekend’s rafting trip in Utah, of camping, swimming and laughing with dear friends. And I replayed the weekend to be sure I had all the best details saved for future reference—the muddy drive to the campsite in an evening thunderstorm, the views of the surrounding canyons the next morning, and, yes, even the time the raft flipped and spilled us out into the churning Colorado River.
I know I will think about this weekend less and less as the days and weeks pass and new experiences are had and memories made, but I also know I will be reminded of it the next time that rich smell floats my way again and I look forward to that moment.
What smells trigger memories for you?
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