The power of smell

[catnapper]

I was sitting here on the computer when I smelled something that immediately took me back to my childhood: the smell of grandmom sunbathing in the yard. *Sniff* *sniff* Who can be wearing her suntan lotion, or as she called it, "tanning oil".

Then it hit me, its not tanning oil, its baby oil! LOL Ashley changed the baby's diaper and put baby oil on Cameron's bottom! It never occured to me that people might actually use baby oil for its intended purpose. All my life, it was grandmom's tanning oil! (No wonder she had skin cancer )

I was thinking though how scents can trigger powerful memories. Anyone have certain scents that take you back?

[MariaM]

It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes Major will have a certain smell that reminds me of when I very very first got him. I can't remember the smell right now but if it comes, then it takes me right back there.

[Randi]

Oh yes, I can relate. A few years ago, I were in a place where I could smell my grandmothers kitchen. I think it had something to do with her oldfashioned gas stove, but I loved that smell.

[sirrahbed]

..that smell takes me back to the late 60's/early70's

I have caught whiffs of it lately while out shopping. I wonder if it is on someone my age or if this scent is being revived?

[kuhio98]

The smell of hot dust takes me back to my pre-teen years in the 70's when we lived on a hot, dusty road and summers seemed to last forever.....

[Cookiebaker]

You are certainly right that the power of smell is extremely powerful. Unfortunately, these days, it's powerful in all the wrong sorts of ways for me. It's driving me nuts.

[Danegirl2208]

i can also relate..the smell of bug repellent reminds me of the year i spent in Georgia..and the smell of mashed potatoes brings back a not so nice memory of a car acciedent i was in years ago, and the smell of air bags..(the first thing i ate after the accident was mashed potatoes)..very odd

[Dorothy39]

The smell of hot dust takes me back to my pre-teen years in the 70's when we lived on a hot, dusty road and summers seemed to last forever.....

i can relate to that smell! I think a lot of people can.

this thread is down to Earth!!! I 'll come back when I can post a reply as good as yours!!!!

[sirrahbed]

I smelled another *memory* a bit ago - we have the sprinkler out watering the lawn. Especially when it is set on "mist" - it has this.....just wonderful smell

[lizbud]

I know that our sense of smell is a highly important one to have.Just as
important as sight or speech.Even now the smell of baked apples reminds
me of the apple pies my Grandma used to make.This part of my childhood
was a happy one, so the smell makes me feel happy & contented..

[Dorothy39]

I know that our sense of smell is a highly important one to have.Just as
important as sight or speech.Even now the smell of baked apples reminds
me of the apple pies my Grandma used to make.This part of my childhood
was a happy one, so the smell makes me feel happy & contented..

Yep, something about APPLES!!! along with clean linens fresh from the clothes line!!!!

these smells always make me remember MOM!!!!!!

[moosmom]

The smell of Old Spice reminds me of my Dad, not to mention the smell of cigar smoke. The smell of the perfume Fiji reminds me of my Mom.

[shais_mom]

I just love the smell of freshly cut grass.
I love to just go to my parents or my grandma's house in the fall and smell the harvest.
Not so good smell - My grandma's sister died of breast cancer and her other sister took care of her after chemo and when she would get sick my aunt said it smelled like muskmelon/cantelope and she couldn't eat it ever again. I didn't like it before then and now every time I smell it that is what I think of so I can't eat it either!

[Rachel]

Just recently I smelled something that reminded me of a bar soap we would sometimes use when I was a kid, but for the life of me I couldn't remember its name. It was easy to figure out all though, all I had to do was google *red bar soap* and I found it....LIFEBOUY.

[Ginger's Mom]

Just a quick little tidbit I had read many years ago. It was hypothesized that de ja vu was actually brought about by a smell that you didn't even notice but that brought back a memory that caused the been there before feeling. I thought that was pretty interesting.