Some of the Bloganuary prompts are easier than others. This is not one of them. The question posed for today was “Do you have a memory that’s linked to a smell?” The answer? Of course I do, but that doesn’t mean I know it off the bat.
The coolest trick of memory is its ability to take us by surprise. More than once, I’ve smelled (or tasted) something that catapults me into the past with the precision of a laser pointer (I don’t like this comparison, but I don’t know a lot of things that shoot with precision.) I am taken back to a moment or to people all within less than a blink of an eye. This most often happens with something I don’t remember, or at least I didn’t until that moment. The memory is tucked away, waiting for just the right moment to reunite with me.
While I can’t think of a memory linked to a smell, I can think of certain things and smell them. The ocean is an easy one, but there’s also funnel cake. I can smell popcorn on the stove and every once in a while it takes me back to college, senior year, with Marie making stove top popcorn for us after a long day. Oh look, I got one! I’ll quit while I’m ahead!