“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface but paddling like the dickens underneath.”

~Michael Caine

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Scents of Smell

One of the greatest compliments a child could give to their mother is taking a big whiff of you and then saying "Mommy, you always smell so good." I know this might sound weird but, it's true. If you think about it, you can almost smell all of your memories. Fond or not. I know exactly what my mom smells like. I remember exactly how my grandmother's crawfish etoufee smelled (that I have tried without success to duplicate more than once). I can recall the smell of the homes of each one of my family members and friends.

Who doesn't love the smell of a brand new baby? The emotions associated with that 'new baby' smell is happiness and excitement. (Ty, your comments are not welcome here.) I believe that scents can be associated with almost every emotion. When you're feeling happy, chances are you'll remember what scents you smelled when you were happiest. Such as Thanksgiving dinner and being surrounded by family and friends. The onions and garlic, the turkey...you get the idea.

Such a simple phrase may seem so meaningless. But it's not. To me, it means that she feels safe. That my scent is comfort and warmth. Happiness and contentment. That she loves me so much that she wants to take in every last drop of me right down to the smell. I must say that it makes me feel like I'm doing something right.

2 comments:

Mommy said...

Scientifically, your sense of smell is the one most closely associated with your memories. A whiff of something can bring back a flood of memories. But on the home front, some of our fondest memories have to do with smell and the comfort and they bring to us.
143
Mommy

granmaman-nansan said...

Brittany, your commentary was so beautiful and true. My favorite memory of smells is when I was living here in Texas and you were still growing up in Louisiana. You would tell Granny that she smelled just like her Nanny (me). I am litterly bawling at the memories that came back. All good and the tears are of happiness that I am remember them. This is the one scent I treasure more than any other and I wear the same perfume to this date. Granny never ran out of it, because she too liked it and I made sure she had the bath power, lotion, etc. Thank you my love for giving such a beautiful memory. Nanny