Thursday, December 14, 2006

Smell ya later...



Have you ever been transported back into a memory just by catching a whiff of a passing scent? Isn't that just the most surreal thing ever?

I was doing some frivalous holiday spending at a candle party the other night and when I unscrewed one of the lids and took a big whiff, it immediately transported me back into the basement of my grandparents house. They used to collect walnuts off the trees and leave them in the basement to dry before cracking the green stuff off to get to the nut. Something about this holiday scented candle reached right into my memory banks and pulled out this particular memory that I didn't even know I had anymore.

I think this happens to me more around the holidays. The smell of a cooking turkey always makes me feel warm and safe and reminds me of my childhood.

Isn't it strange how certain scents are tied to people? If I catch a whiff of the men's cologne Obsession, I whirl around expecting to see my high school boyfriend behind me. As if he's going to be wearing the same cologne after fifteen years!

They say that our sense of smell is 10,000 times stronger than any of our other senses. I believe it. It really makes you feel sorry for dogs, no wonder they spend their entire lives begging! So tell me some of your favorite smells and why!

xo,

Steph

All that matters is what's inside...as long as your outside is wearing the tiara.REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, coming from Berkley Jam in July 2007

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

10 comments:

TinaFerraro said...

Cute post, Steph! There are 2 scents that make me time travel, one bad, one good: Aussie Shampoo reminds me of morning sickness during my first pregnancy--to this day, I cannot use it--and Arid Extra Dry takes me back to my 12th summer. I had my first real crush that summer, and was starting to think of myself as a teenager, rather than a kid, so that smell brings back wonderful memories. (Maybe Santa will leave a can in my stocking this year?)

Tina

www.tinaferraro.com

Simone Elkeles said...

I love smells, even the smell of campfire smoke in my hair. It brings me back to Girl Scouts and overnight camp.

My mom still wears Obsession, she loves the strong perfume of it!

~Simone Elkeles
www.simoneelkeles.com

chanceofbooks said...

Simone--I love the scent of campfire for the same reason.

I love the scent of mothballs--weirdo that I am--because it reminds me of my grandmother's house--old musty books, fun nooks and crannies.

The smell of bengay reminds me of my father.

The smell of Plumeria by Bath and Body Works reminds me of my first love.

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Hi Steph,

Entering a family home with the scents of dinner from a cold day reminds me of my childhood. It's the warmth of the scents--it could be stew or spaghetti, whatever--that makes me content. Same with the holidays and I see my aunts making the same dishes every year. I call it comfort food!

Anonymous said...

Tabu perfume--although I rarely get to smell it anymore, since so few people wear it, it always reminds me of my grandmother, who wore it every day.

Brute cologne--reminds me, horribly, of my sixth grade science teacher. This was not a nice man!

Lavender--my great-grandmother, who sprayed all of her clothes with lavender water.

Freshly ground coffee--salvation!

Anonymous said...

I can't use lavender bath oils or soaps because it reminds my husband of his third grade teacher, who I guess he didn't like.

And I love the smell of cigars because it reminds me of my grandfather, who I loved dearly.

Marley Gibson said...

What a fun post, Steph! I'm totally with you on the smells making you time travel. Of course, I can't think of one right now except how peppermint always makes me think about my grandfather because he always used to carry it with him. I love that our senses control so much of us.

Marley = )
http://www.marleygibsonc.om

Young Adult Authors said...

I always love the smell of frying onions -- it reminds me of my dad making breakfast potatoes when I was a kid. Also, I love the smell of... Nutter Butters. But, I bet you knew I was going to say that. :)

Anonymous said...

I have a body spray that smells exactly like a craft kit I had as a kid... it was arranging plastic flowers with glitter and this exact smell of spray. When I first got the body spray, I recognized it immediately, but I couldn't remember what it reminded me of. It drove me CRAZY until I figured it out!

stephhale said...

Thanks for sharing your scents, everybody!

xo,
Steph