The Smell Connection.

I am amazed how certain smells can take you back to a moment in time. I am constantly stopped dead in my tracks to try and identify a certain smell that reminds me of some moment in my memory bank.

Right now, our orange tree is just starting to bud blossoms. I'm instantly transported every March to the apartment my Mom and I were living in when I was about 5 years old. Faint cigar smoke reminds me of the small barber my dad used to take me to when I was probably about 3 or 4; but that was more of a blend between cigar smoke and a particular brand of butch wax but with a faint hint of Groom & Clean (mostly used for keeping flat tops neat).

The weirdest was when I had a full 60 second "movie clip" like flashback back at age 14. My dad had a collection of colognes on his bathroom sink. Since I was getting into hygiene at that age, I remember one weekend when I had a weekend visit, I decided to see what each one smelled like. There was typical musk, and other non specific brands like Old Spice, Hi Karate, etc. But when I got to this one bottle, after taking a whiff, I was 3 years old, being picked up at my Christian Preschool (still exists), driving out of the parking lot, pulling into Sierra Avenue, traveling only a few feet then pulling into the left hand turn lane to pull into the 1st National Bank, then driving up to a human operated drive-thru teller window....and that's it. All of that from one smell of cologne.

Certain solvents remind me of my Grandfather's helicopter hanger, Dove soap reminds me of my Great-Grandmother's bathroom, and Jessica McClintock perfume reminds me of my wife. And I'm sure I'm creating the same memories for my family as well. I'm hooked on an aromatherapy lotion that's sold at Bath & Body Works called "Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint". It smells nothing like it's name and I don't really think it really relaxes me. But the smell is kind of a woody yet refreshing smell and doesn't resemble anything minty at all. It's very nice.