Friday, January 27, 2012

memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.


Scents carry memories with them. One whiff, and suddenly you are transported back to a significant time and place. I love those moments - so unexpected - where suddenly you are enveloped by part of your history.

I love fragrances. Perfumes, of course, but little things too - like the way the grass smells after it rains, the unmistakable aroma of a new book, and even laundry detergent. I am fascinated by the knowledge that special little moments are often encapsulated by a scent.

Thinking about this, I was particularly struck by the following paragraph.
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.
- Diane Ackerman

What scents remind you of special memories?

34 comments:

  1. It's so true, My gran died when I was really young but I found her old perfume 'Poison' a while ago and instantly remembered her!

    x

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  2. i love the smell of new car leather, it reminds me of driving to soccer games on sunday afternoons when i was a little girl, listening to steely dan with my dad!

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  3. This is such an amazing post, I have always felt like this about scents... they always connect with me on a level that nothing else can. But I've never been able to put it into words.
    So thanks. I hope you don't mind I'll be using this as inspo for a post of my own.

    Erica
    inthelightofstyle.blogspot.com

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  4. hey, there. so true! i remember using a certain brand of shampoo in middle school.... and haven't used it again until several years ago. it all of a sudden brought me back memories of being a teengaer. :)

    i love audrey hepburn.... you kind of look like her. :)

    hope you enjoy the wknd.

    jasmine

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  5. This is so true! I had a favorite fragrance one summer, and I ordered the bottle several years later--took me right back
    xo Annie

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  6. Lovely post! Every time I remember Poison perfume, I remember my childhood days and my Dad. :)

    Jewel Clicks

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  7. It's a beautiful post! My strongest of the human's five senses is the smell and that sort of a problem though because I tend to sneeze a lot when there's too much perfume in the air. lol!

    http://daphyin-makeupisart.blogspot.com

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  8. oh i really love your title post dear , it is so true!! i love perfumes too but i hate when i woke up and felt the scents of it striking into my nose --"

    http://mithakomala.blogspot.com/

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  9. What a great post =D i love the smell of a perfume my cousin used to have that smelled like strawberries... It just reminds me of the fun we had

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  10. I love your post!!! It's so true!!! Thanks for your lovely comment on my new post!!! kiss dear :D

    http://thefashionscan.blogspot.com/

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  11. I'm holding this post as dear to me! It really works like this with me: a scent unleashes the beauty of a hot summer night or a freshly baked cake!
    I am very picky when it comes to perfumes, I can't handle anything sweeter than the smell of roses, and perfumes too strong and sweet often give me headaches!
    But then, I guess everyone has to be particular about somethings!

    Following you! follow me back?

    http://myveryownoneyearproject.blogspot.com/

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  12. Viktor and Rolph reminds me of my best friend!
    Aimee
    www.new-yorkdoll.blogspot.com
    xxx

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  13. Hi! My name is Layla da Fonseca, I'm from Brazil and I have a blog named Coisa de Menina. Today I find your blog and I were delited because you have a great and interesting space with a special particular touch. Finally, I loved and became your follower. I'll be delighted if you could look my blog and folow me back. Oh, I love your post, it's amazing!

    XOXO.
    Layla da Fonseca
    http://laylafonseca.blogspot.com/

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  14. i miss the scent of Fair Lady :) one of my favourites among all.

    Latest: Pay CNY Charge Before You Dine!

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  15. you are so right, nothing will ever beat a scent. Love this post, so inspirational. xoxo!

    http://fatal-fashion.blogspot.com

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  16. It's amazing how a scent can take you back to a time and place!

    GTBB,
    http://badjoan.blogspot.com
    http://cookingjoan.blogspot.com

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  17. I heard once that a woman never 'forgets' a smell. Even re-smelling the same scent 40 years later conjures up the memory of having smelled that scent before!

    I just posted about memories too... mine was about music. I love the connection our senses make to our brains.

    x- Chickadette

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  18. I'm loving the quote. It's true. Once you've smelled something of significance or meaning, it never goes away. I love fragrances too, especially sweet ones. Also grass and the smell of rain. oooh. :)

    xx

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  19. Lovely post!

    Shall we follow each other? I'm following you.

    WWW.FASHIONWHIT.COM

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  20. lovee your blog <3

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  21. hey hey!
    check out my newest post on nataliece.blogspot.com and be sure sure to leave a comment telling me what you think about it! :)

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  22. Audrey is my favorite and yes isn't it funny how scents bring back such strong memories?

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  23. Lovely post, I agree that scents always bring back memories!

    xo Gillie

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  24. This post really hits home. I always connect my memories with pleasant scents I have smelled from the days that have passed.

    http://stylespotlighted.blogspot.com

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  25. Great post! I used to love a Guerlain lilies one, that reminded me of summer, but it was a limited edition and they don´t make it anymore! Have a lovely week <3<3

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  26. That paragraph is just beautiful and totally just nails it about scents and memories. I actually have a bad memory with one of my favourite perfumes - Hypnotic Poison. Got wayyyy to drunk wearing it one night and every time I smell it, I feel sick haha xx

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  27. I feel very into the scents mostly because I'm not very sensitive to the smell. When it touches my nose I notice it real well

    Lyosha
    Inside and Outside Blog

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  28. I so agree with you! there is no stronger reminder than smell!..well...maybe music as well.
    I always like to use one perfume but I have also an autumn parfume which reminds me always about autumn. Or when you land in a warm country and step out of a plane, these countries always smell with heat, salty see, burning sand and palms - smell of vacation and happiness;)

    Xx

    Alexandra

    www.fashion-bridge.blogspot.com

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  29. The smell of fresh cut grass reminds me of being little and playing outside. Love this because it's so true that smells can transport you. :-)

    Jayme @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  30. I love the idea of your post! I'm a very nostalgic person so I adore memories! I think memories are a combination of scents and situations! Thank you for leaving comments on my blog!

    xxx
    E
    http://dragonflyelisabeth.blogspot.com/

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  31. I love this post!! I think of so many fond memories when I smell different senses!!

    run-style-run.blogspot.com

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