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Writer's pictureTrish Charleston

Catch A Whiff Of That!

I was watching Family Feud the other day and one of the questions was "Name something that triggers an old memory." I was shouting "A SONG! A SONG!" They didn't hear me screaming through the television from Route 1 Reeds in Missouri and needless to say, they said something dumb and lost the money. A song is a real trigger isn't it? What else triggers a memory for you? Apparently for me, it is also smells.


I bought some potpourri in one of our local businesses last week and man alive have the childhood memories been flooding me. Well, that's not really true. I'm not thinking of anything specific except our old house. This particular smell floods me with my past. It's refreshingly bizarre if that's a thing. Something about it reminds me of our house out on Whitten Road. And yes I said "I bought some potpourri." Can you believe people actually still sell potpourri and that I bought some? Talk about a blast from the past! That's how desperate I am to shop. LOL! I will literally buy ANYTHING!

I put it in a big bowl in my basement and every time I come down the stairs, I'm back out on Whitten Road. Something about it also reminds me of my mom's best friend Martha. She was just the coolest lady ever and gosh I wish she was still here for my Mom. She hosted the most beautiful bridal luncheon for me and my bridesmaids and she was always smiling or laughing and looked like a million bucks, even in her bathrobe with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She was the epitome of class.


One day they'd come to have lunch with me while I was attending MSU in Springfield. I don't know if it was my birthday or if they were just in town but we all went to lunch and it was Martha's treat. When she paid the waiter, she tapped on his tray with her long beautiful nails and said "Now you just keep that." When we got outside, her fingernail was gone. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Can you imagine the look on that waiters face? We didn't notice because we left but I can only imagine him just staring down at the long fingernail attached to his tip. "Now you just keep that!" I'm laughing all over again. An actual tip on the tip. Hahahahaha!


Loves Baby Soft reminds me Christmas's as a little girl and of a childhood trip to Colorado we took with friends. I can take one whiff of it and be standing on the slopes looking at Amber's beautiful face. It's the coolest thing really. Yes if you search the internet, you can still find Love's Baby Soft, especially at Christmas time. It grosses the Cowboy out completely but I'll occasionally wear it to annoy him.


Quincy and Colt's new farm has a detached garage and when you walk in, you are instantly back in time in my Grandpa Kelly's carport tool closet. It's the exact same smell. I'm waiting for him to try and hand me a $20.00 bill or check my oil. Amazing.


There are songs that will transport me in time in the first verse. There are hymns that make me feel like my grandmother is standing next to me in church or I'm back out at the little Baptist church that I loved so. Music and smells have a real way about them. I love the days that the Cowboy has over cologned himself and leaves some on me with my morning goodbye kiss. I catch a whiff of him throughout the day and it makes me miss him a little. Of course I'm soon standing in manure and the romance is dead but it's a nice thought for a minute.


Some of my most favorite smells are fresh cut grass, coffee brewing, lilacs and gardenias, wafting through the wind, the ocean, suntan lotion, horses, leather, pine, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. They all bring back some wonderful memory or set the mood or season. Good smells are the best.


Can you imagine the wonderful smells of Heaven? I mean, I don't think you can beat pumpkin spice in the fall but I bet Jesus can. This book I've been reading is about people who have had near death experiences and they describe Heaven. Everything you think is beautiful here, doesn't hold a candle to Heaven. So I can only imagine the smells.


Stop and smell the roses today everyone. Bring back a memory or make a new one with somebody you love. Life is short. Enjoy every bit of it.


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