A Whiff of Spring

Our temporary warm up into the 40s had my sense of smell triggering distinct memories of Spring this morning. Outdoors it felt and sounded like the milder days of Spring and I could almost believe that it was late March instead of two days before the first of January.

Scent-triggered memories evoke the biggest emotional reaction for me. My friends and family have always said I have a sharp memory for odd things. It's a blessing at times to be able to remember the past, but it's painful as well. Mostly from a nostalgia stand-point. The smell of the air reminded me briefly of my short trip to England almost ten years ago. Hazy images in my mind of an Easter day fry-up, trudging around the streets of Arundel with a nasty head cold, warm breezes off the English Channel in Brighton, and a hint of the smell of the house we home-stayed at in Worthing. Fast and fleeting.

The next major scent memory came when I opened a single serving coffee bag. I immediately thought back to making breakfast before classes in high school. I would treat myself with these single servings of coffee for breakfast instead of my customary cup of tea. I've heard it said that coffee grounds have one of the strongest scents and can even be used to cleanse your scent palate. That scent and the doughnut on my desk brought back memories of Sundays after Mass at our friend's house. My parents and I crowded around a small kitchen table with our friends and their five kids, eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. When the kids, including me, were all younger, we had to share a chair sometimes since there weren't enough seats for all our bums. As we got older, we still shared seats as a joke.

Two scents. Hours worth of memories.