Last night as I was preparing to climb in my bed, doped up on cold meds and muscle relaxers and anticipating a good night's rest, I put the kettle on for some relaxing hot tea. As soon as I poured the steaming water over the bag, one thing came to mind: Harry Potter. Why? Because I bought the tea around the same time I started reading the series, and would drink it while reading at night. Now I associate that smell with Harry Potter. Weird.
I don't quite understand how our brains remember smells, and more amazingly, how they pair them with objects or experiences. How the smell of honeysuckle makes me reminisce about summer days spent playing in a grandparent's backyard, exploring the deep wood and being afraid to go too far in. How the smell of ginger makes me long to be back in the hot and humid Thai climate, eating Pad Thai with fresh slices of lime in an outdoor market. How the smell of milk and honey makes me think of Montevallo, simply because of the hand soap I used while I lived at 1330 Ashville Road. *
Can anyone explain this phenomenon?
* Product plug: Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Body Lotion. I have already gotten two positive reactions from men at work. I think I'll use it more often. ;)
3 comments:
Honeysuckle reminds me of summers spent at my grandmother's, too!! It's nice that these things can take us back to simpler times.
can't explain it, but i think about this too, b/c i am amazed by it. skintastic bug repellant reminds me of Thailand (as well as the same food smells that you have), pipe smoke makes me think of my grandfather (although he quit smoking it when i was 4), chlorine, beef on a grill, and fresh cut grass all together make me think of late summer afternoons as a kid.......ah, nice thought on a yucky Feb. day. thanks.
no way... milk and honey reminds me of those yellow walls too.
how i miss you...
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