An Aroma

Written in response to https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2023/09/21/reenas-xploration-challenge-299/

Memory is all around us, as well as within. It can be as simple as an aroma around us in the air. To sell a house many will put a percolator of coffee on, or bake bread because there are good memories associated with these smells.

When I think of my dad, it is the the smell of extra strong mints. He gave up smoking when he was fifty because he had Chronic Bronchitis. He went from fifty a day to none. I think about the crosswords he used to fill out. I do remember his stories. He was a paratrooper in the second world war, and I asked him so many questions. Yet, even when it must have been upsetting, he answered every one of them.

Other aromas, which have a positive memory for me; lavender, a stew cooking (my mum’s best dish ever), hot milk, the smell of a biscuit when dunked in tea. When my children were born, the pride I had when I held them for the first time. Now adults, I can still feel the happiness, and remember them as babies.

It’s strange, but sometimes you don’t remember something, until someone tells their own story. They talk about going to Cornwall, for instance, and I think of a holiday there, and I instantly smile. Most of the time, we are living the same day all over again.

Yet, I cannot remember most of my childhood. We remember snippets in time. Moments, which have made us smile, or cry. I remember playtime at school, or a lesson where I got into trouble with my friend, sitting outside, talking about boys or what we were watching at the time, going to the fair, and getting squashed on the ride.

I have precious memories of all my family; especially those who have passed away. Whenever I am feeling lonely, or frustrated, I think of them. What they would have said to help me through. I feel for those who suffer with memory loss. To not remember loved ones, even if they are alive, is a terrible thing. Music is meant to help, and I can understand how. There are certain songs, which evoke a response, whether that makes you unhappy or happy.

I value my memories because they are a link to family and my friends. It doesn’t matter whether they are in my mind, or shared, there are moments I will never forget and some I would rather leave in the past. I love how I can pluck a memory out of nowhere just because of a smell, music, or any other prompt.