Memory Smells...

I love memory smells... smells that trigger your memory about a time in your past, a place or a certain person that you haven't thought about in a long time.

I thought memory smells were only from childhood, but I have a new memory smell that reminds me of the year I moved Jacob and I back to Idaho to reunite with Jim and all the joy I was feeling during that 1st summer here.

I was coming home from my morning walk with Brenda this morning and it wasn't too hot yet, so I had the windows down and the smell of mint filled the car. All of a sudden I was thinking back on all those memories. It took me a minute to corrilate the smell to the memories.

As the story goes, when I first moved here, I didn't know my way around Caldwell at all, and without Mt. Rainier to see which way was South, I was always turned around. I couldn't even seem to make it to Walmart and back 2 miles without major anxiety.

One day during the month of July, I was trying to find my way home and I smelled the mint field... I remember how relived I felt that I wouldn't have to call Jim or his Mom for instructions back home, because when I could smell the mint field I could find my way from there.

They were too kind when I shared my experience to tell me that there were mint fields all over Treasure Valley! I guess I just got lucky the one I smelled was actually the one near the house. It was a good thing for me I eventually learned my way to Walmart before the mint was harvested.

I have lots of memory smells, honeysuckle reminds me of Miss Dot who took care of me when my Mom was working (she must of had honeysuckle growing at her house or something), fire smoke reminds me of the piles of laundry the boys bring home from a camping trip, and how I never mind that laundry, because it is sooooo good to see them, popcorn cooking makes me think of my sister (she loves popcorn), the rain reminds me of downtown Seattle and walking through Pike Place Market and the Waterfront in the rain.

It makes me wonder what kinds of smell memories I am creating for Jacob... I will have to bake cookies more often so he has good memory smells and not bad ones like dirty laundry or something. he he he