But my favorite, by far, were the scratch-and-sniff stickers. Yes, those circular, slightly fuzzy, nothing-close-to-natural-smelling collectibles went for a high price on the sticker market. Why? I don't know, except that there was definitely something about a peach-smelling sticker that just made people happy.
Of course, not all smells make you happy. Believe me, after 15 years of being a nurse, I can attest to that! But there are definitely aromas that link our brains to memories and situations. There are whole billion-dollar enterprises that gain on this phenomenon- look at Scentsy and Yankee Candle for goodness sake. Those scents of Christmas cookies or baby powder rely on our brains' ability to link a smell with a positive memory.
Tonight I came home after a long day at work and immediately went into Mom/wife mode- doing laundry, making lunches, helping with homework, etc. As I rounded the corner of the hallway in the back of the house, I suddenly was hit by a familiar aroma. Instantly, a memory of my first house and garden that I loved came into my head as I walked into my bedroom and followed the scent. Sure enough, the lilac bush directly outside my window must have finally bloomed today while I was at work. It's heady aroma filled the room and drifted into the hallway with the evening breeze, conjuring a reminiscent smile as I thought about the huge lilac bush on my patio that I loved at our first home. My husband and I would sit on our porch swing and breathe in the flowery scent, marveling at the potency of it and talking about how we wished it would stay in bloom all summer.
But alas, each summer the colorful purple blooms would dry up and stay dormant until the next spring, when it seems they all decide to open on a specific day-much like a short-lived grand re-opening of a new store.
Today's pic celebrates this year's grand re-opening, and the connection between a scent and the past.
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