Smells Like Nostalgia

I’ve read that smell is closely linked with memory and emotions, more than any of the other senses. One smell can send you mentally hurtling back to childhood. Or conjure up powerful feelings and emotions, both good and bad.

I know this to be true. I’ve experienced powerful smell induced memories many times over the years and always wondered “is this a thing?” Which is what lead me to look up this connection. I know, it’s random. But I was a librarian for a decade, so I must know the answer to all the things. All. The. Things.

Just recently, I walked into the grocery store and there was a strong scent of barbecue. I felt like I was immediately back in the old neighborhoods where I grew up. You’d be hard pressed not to experience the smell of the grill going on a warm summer evening or weekend. Somebody, somewhere would be barbecuing.

It was more than a memory. It was like I was in those moments, experiencing them once again. It was comforting and deep. I became nostalgic as I continued to wander through the store, lost in the feelings of days past.

One day when I was taking a walk with my family, a scent of freshly fallen rain and wet grass hit me like a ton of bricks. It doesn’t rain much here in Arizona, so I suspect it was more a freshly watered lawn by way of sprinklers.

But I once again was transported to my childhood in Ohio. How often I smelled rain then, when April showers was an all too true saying.

At the time, the smell of rain meant little to me. Frankly, it became annoying as I longed for the rain to go away and for the sun to return once again. It kept me inside looking out of the window instead of playing. And God forbid I got my hair wet. That meant the hot comb was coming to straighten out the frizzy mess that would result.

Little did I know the emotional connection that was forming from those rainy day experiences. A connection to a time I would look back upon fondly.

Whenever I smell a particular smell of fries, I am instantly walking around Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Not all fry smells. Just a certain fry smell that I really can’t describe. It makes me all giddy again with excitement at the sounds, sights and smells of the most awesomest amusement park in the world.

When I go to a gas station, the gasoline aroma reminds me of my weird obsession with the smell of gas as a young child. I loved the smell as if it was perfume. To this day, at every gas station stop, I am once again 7-years-old. I’m sitting in the car, rolling the windows down and inhaling deeply. Of course, I was chastised by my mother whenever I did this strange ritual, with her reminding me of the dangers of those fumes. I’ve since grown out of my gasoline smelling habit, thankfully. But the memories leave me slightly amused at what a strange little child I could be.

I still can’t walk into a Rec center or anywhere with a pool and smell chlorine without smelling…failure. The failure of taking swimming classes and failing them twice! All because I couldn’t get over my fear of the deep-end. It’s not a bad memory really. More a wistful realization of an uncompleted task that haunts me.

I gave up on swimming after those failed attempts. I so wish I could swim today. Or get on a boat without wondering what would happen if we capsized. To float in the water at the beach, unconcerned about drowning if I get out too far. Yes, a smell memory that doesn’t bring back the most pleasant of memories.

I found through my brief research that the smell / memory connection is often linked to early life events. I’m not completely sure why, but it’s comforting in a way. Things that seemed so inconsequential and long since forgotten can be unlocked and reawakened; relived with one simple whiff of air, blowing in the breeze.

I also discovered that the more you talk about past events and experiences, the less feeling there is behind them. Which may explain the strong emotions that come with reawakened memories. As I get older, I cherish those sudden flashes. It’s like being transported in a time machine or getting to watch old videos of my life that I never got to tape.

Featured Image credit: Flickr