This author really brings smell to life in her writing. Her wonderful vocabulary really stirs the senses.I'm just so intrigued by the way she describes certain smells. Like "Myrtle-mad August" and"Cereus drenched the air." At one point she talks about describing a sent to someone who hasn't smelled it before; I think that could be like describing sight to someone who can't see. To me, it's so true what she says about smell and memory. I know I've stopped in my tracks from a whiff of something so familiar,yet I just couldn't" place it. As my mind manically searches its data banks to what seems like no end. This unresolved sent will remain in my memory until I identify it, or until it slowly fades away.
I smoked for over 25 years. The last several years I profusely disliked the smell of the smoke; I quit about 10 months ago. Now when I smell a cigarette it smells so good and gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. I think its just somehow fulfilling the memory of my addiction I carried for so long. I also really love the smell of coffee which is probably also another addictive sensory. The smell of certain gardenia flowers makes me want to follow my nose to find the source. Then, I just want to roll around in them just like a cat with catnip. One of the most memoratic smell for me reaches farther then my comprehension. It's the ocean, something about it is just all to familiar as if it comes from several lives back. In a sense it's like a cellular memory. No smell makes me feel more comfortable, or more at ease;then, the smell of the ocean. It's as if I'm home again. I truly enjoyed this article and most definitely could relate.
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2 comments:
Christine,
Great piece of writing. I enjoyed what you wrote about what kind of smells that brings you back to a moment in life. I can relate to what you are writing about in your piece.
I know what you meant about smoking.
Being that I am an ex-smoker for going on fifteen years. I use to feel the same way when I first stop smoking. Now, I simply can't stand the smell and I can't tolerate any kind of smoke around me. I also wish the college campus would ban smoking completely. To me, smoking is not a right or a privilage, it is an addiction.
The postive side of smells is that it does bring back very good memories of places I have been, and great dinners my Mom use to make to simply taking a bath in scented oils. Being able to smell is really awesome thing to do. To lose it would be very sad. My Mom lost her ability to smell due to her years of smoking. I remember her telling me that one day over our early morning coffee. That really impacted me to the point of quitting all together.
As another ex-smoker (four years this week!) I have to say that I agree with Christine; the smell of cigarette smoke is still alluring to me, but at the same time I'm happy that I'm not attached to that smell and surrounded by it all the time. I hope you stay smoke free, life is definitely better smoke free.
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