Scents...

The older I grow, the more I contemplate about the events of my life..it’s not to say that I’m living in the past, but when I have a bit of time, I like to think about all the things, moments I’ve lived through, places I’ve been to, and people I’ve met… and I can’t help it, but I often wonder, if it’s possible to remember everything. I’m inclined to think that everything that’s happened to me, every page I read, every conversation I had, every eye contact I’ve made with strangers…even those moments that seemed insignificant at the time, must be stored somewhere in the labyrinth of my brain, I just can’t access it…can’t recall it…and exactly for this reason, I became doubtful, whether my memory really clings on to these moments. But today I’ve discovered something in connection to the above…I’ve realized how important scents are for me..how certain scents automatically draw an image linked to a memory of mine from the depths of my brain…memories that I’ve thought have long disappeared in the abyss.. I’m not sure how it all came about, but today, after a nice lie in, I was walking towards town, when all the sudden a scent of an intense, sweet perfume struck me. There was no one around me, and yet for the fraction of a second I could feel that somehow familiar fragrance overwhelming my nose, and making me smile. Yes, it made me smile, because just as the scent materialised, a picture conjured up in my mind as well, right away…as if the scent and this picture belonged together, creating an atmosphere I’ve well known at one time in my life. The scent I’ve detected was identical to the scent of my mom’s perfume a few years ago. I was much younger then… thinking nothing of the world…not knowing what I want, or what the future holds….and yet I was happy. I felt secure, loved, and certain that life is a miracle. Even though this scent was attached to one particular picture (my mom coming home from shopping, stepping in to the house, and giving me a hug) it contained a whole lot more. As if that little moment was a complete universe in itself, containing all my emotions at the time, my visions, my dreams, and the whole world through my eyes. And today, reliving this moment…that special atmosphere, delivered to me on the wings of the powerful Northern wind, brought me immense joy…joy, and a bit of confusion as well. Because today is different…I see the world through more experienced eyes, and maybe I feel more insecure…maybe I feel a little bit more lonely…maybe it’s because I’m far away from my family and home…but I felt like I would have liked to travel back to that moment..that moment, which at the time seemed somewhat insignificant, yet- my heart knowing it’s value – got stored deep down within me. This experience, this unexpected meeting with a special moment of the past evoked by a scent made me dreamy and greedy at the same time. The unique nature of the encounter filled my senses, my mind and my heart and I wanted more….so I’ve started rummaging amongst my memories..in search of anything that could be linked to a certain scent..and to my biggest surprise I’ve found plenty! I’ve closed my eyes, whilst sitting on the bench next the wee fishing pond I normally visit on a Saturday, and there they were. All these scents that can’t be well described by a single word…one needs to see behind the scenes…one needs to understand the magical works of nature to be able to understand them, and feel them in their completeness. The scent of spring…one would think it’s the blooming of the flowers covering fields and forests with an enchanted, fragranced blanket…and to be fair partly it is… but for me…for me the scent of the spring is the raw, somehow moist, woody flavoured fragrance of trees…the scent that one can only detect if one is very attentive, even though the fragrance is really distinctive. It’s bound to be, because it embodies the awakening of nature…through this scent you can become part of nature’s renewal..when you let this scent you’re your lungs, you’ll be able to peek under the barks and see..but not only see…FEEL how the fluids – after a long winter – start to flow faster, carrying life in a hasted manner from the roots to the crown breathing the joy of existence to every cell within the tree. You’ll feel the freshness, the pure, intoxicating, ancient jubilation of life pulsating in and around you. You’ll feel that despite of anything that occupies your mind..you’ll feel it, because one has to react when presented with such a powerful burst of raw energy… Scents are magical tools…no one should underestimate their power…