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| photo by Javier Arce ↩ | via PhotoRee |
Have you ever walked in a crowd and caught a scent that makes you stand stock still?
Have you ever put the radio on been transfixed by a long forgotten song? A school disco song maybe, a ballad that reminds you of a lost teenage love, a song with family significance?
Have you seen a photo that you perhaps haven’t seen before but makes you catch your breath because it brings back a memory?
I wont pretend to know how the synapses in the brain work, but what I do know is that certain sights, sounds and smells can trigger one hell of a reaction.
Patchouli oil reminds me of a certain time as a young teen as my best friend always wore it, the smell of a malboro cigarette reminds me of a very hot British summer spent smoking, drinking, hanging out and just being kids.
Occasionally there is a certain feeling in the air, fresh but warm during the summer, usually early morning and I can remember vividly a little girl in Scotland wearing a white tshirt with a pastel butterfly on the front, with blue jeans and slightly rusty orange hands from swinging round and round on a street sign waiting for her friend to come out and play.
Sometime I find myself in that infuriating situation where a memory is triggered but I can’t quite grasp it. I smell something and know it has relevance but what is it? Is there anything more frustrating than that?
There is a catalogue of sense-related memories that I often forget until I experience them again. I’m curious,what scent, sight or sound makes you remember something significant?