I have a very well kept secret. This is something about me that only few have heard. Some would call it a fetish and others would call it somewhat weird. I think it is kind of neat. When I was a small child, my mother would berate me for smelling my food at the dinner table. For some reason, I had this need to smell my food before I ate it. As I got older, this progressed into me casually smelling the clothes of the person next to me, whether by hug, or by the wind drifting it in my direction. So, now that I am older, (much in fact), I can catch a smell and tell you exactly what it is. . .granted, I have smelled it before. The neat thing is that the smell takes me back to different times in my life, just like hearing music does. Here are some of the ones I think of most. . .
*Baby Magic bath soap. . .My kids hair
*Olay. . .Snuggling up to my mom
*Aramis. . .My dad
*Polo Cologne/Cutting Crew Song/Hands to Heaven. . .Always remind me of my first love
. . .even to this day I turn around to see if it is him
*Fried Chicken. . .My Granny's house
*Fried Dough. . .State Fair
There are so many I can't name them all. Most will let me remember the past and how wonderful the time was. In a way it is a blessing to be able to use my senses to feel the things I do when "I go back". Some, are very hard.
My newest song is the one "I Go Back". . .by Kenny Chesney
It talks of a friend who passes away and he remembers him when he hears a specific song play. When I hear that song, I think of my cousin, Richard, who passed away last year from a Brain Tumor. He was in his twenties and was a remarkable person. I think of him and the life he would have led had he lived. I think that he would have been pleased to know that a song like that would remind me of him.
So, as weird as it sounds, I do "Go Back" and think about my life and the choices that I have made. If I could only develop an aversion to the smell of brownies and baked goods so that I wouldn't love them so much!
