Yesterday, when I was standing in line at US Bank waiting to deposit a check, my mind brought up a thought of my dad and a past family trip to Colombia right in the middle of thoughts about account numbers and endorsing. I snapped my head up in surprise, confused as to where exactly the thought came from. I then noticed an old and small Latin man who had just walked up to stand in line behind me...and he smelled like something I couldn't pinpoint. It was the smell of arepas, plantains, a coffee farm and my abuela all rolled up into one. It was a wonderful scent that had taken my mind back to Colombia before I even realized what I was smelling.
This past weekend Adam and I were driving in the car, listening to some oldies station on the radio. One song ended and "The Night Chicago Died" began playing. I was suddenly taken back to my parents dining room watching my mom listen to the song while she did the dishes. I wasn't particularly fond of the song growing up and willingly would have hit the skip button on the CD player, but my mom seemed to enjoy it too much for me to do that. As the song played in the car, I got so excited (despite my usual indifference towards the song) because of where it took me. It took me back to the safety of my home in Georgia and the familiar comfort of my mom and her routine.
Last Friday, a man was walking in front of me wearing Curve for Men. That smell reminded me of Kris. In high school I would walk behind him if I saw him in the hall just to smell his cologne...he wore Curve for Men everyday. I loved that scent so much; I would have walked behind anyone who gave off that aroma. It was silly, but the scent still places me in my high school state-of-mind for a quick second.
During the trip to Niagara Falls, I saw a lot of moms put their kids up on the wall to get pictures with the falls behind their children. It was wide enough for a little kid bottom to sit on, but the ground on the other side was VERY far away! One mom in particular had put her baby up there with her two or three-year-old son holding him (kind of). The baby was struggling to get away and the brother didn't really feel like touching is sibling. It took me back to watching my baby brother fall three stories when I was 16 or 17. The panic filled me body all over again, and it was all I could do to not grab those children off the wall and yell at their mom.
I love memories, but I especially love how memories can float into my mind without having to "think" about what happened. I love that something as simple as a scent can take you somewhere back in time, but the feelings are just as strong as though they're are happening at that moment!
5 comments:
I love those times too when you are totally taken back--it is so nice to feel safe and comforted with those memories that seem SO real! :)
I know what you mean! I hear certain songs and I feel like a teenager dating Dan again. Or a certain smell can make me so happy or feel so ill....like mushrooms sauteeing in butter. That was the first smell when I was pregnant with Adam that made me want to empty my stomach!!!
The wonderful smell of a newborn baby is the best ever. You will very soon get to smell that, and to me, it smells like heaven.
That is so funny about the wall at Niagara Falls. When we went all 3 of my kids were climbing all over the wall and I never thought twice about it until the other night (almost a YEAR later!) I had a sort of nightmare of one of them falling down, down, down into the water and being swept away! I will NEVER let them stand on that wall again :) Too bad it took me a year to realize it
Yes, it is fun the memories sights and sounds and smells bring back. I suppose my kids got tired of me telling them the memories a particular song on the radio would bring back to me...walking the couple of blocks between my two grandmas houses on a summer vacation...girls I had crushes and other romantic interests in during my teenaged years...smells that remind me of aircraft hangers or Yard Patrol boats...and so on. Fun stuff.
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