Ever walk down a street and smell a scent that reminded yourself of someone or something or some event -- whether it be a good memory or a bad?
For me, roses and daisies will flood my mind with memories of my Grandmas gardens in the country. I loved those gardens because they were beautiful and my Grandma always encouraged me to pick some and take home with me. I did this when I would go out to visit her with my family; but, later, I would drive out by myself and do the same. The aroma would permeate through my then 1970 New Yorker Chrysler car (yellow with a white landou top). I would take the flowers up to my room and it would then fill my room with such aromatic sensations.
Tonight, while driving home, I was driving my blazer and started smelling something quite different from the aroma of the flowers that I could take for-ever and a day. This particular odor was tickling my nose, almost stinging it....and my eyes were feeling funny. The windows were fogging up on the inside.
I pulled over on the side of the roadway, and let my windows down to let the odor escape. As the fog was increasing on the windows, I suddenly realized why I was tensing up as well though. On November 12, 2002, I was driving past The Woodlands' Golf Course after spending the night at some friends' home, the evening after I had found my husband dead in our apartment.
On November 12th, my car had a heating coil problem which had caused the funny smell and fogging of the windows in an older blazer I once had.
As I got back on the roadway, I travelled forward to get home, but not without reliving that moment nearly 4 years ago. I didn't have far to travel. I drove home in the cool weather of the night and unwinded when I got home by talking to some friends, albeit not about my experience.
I am going to get some sleep now....
and get the car tended to in the morning.
Funny how, even when we don't realize it at the time, but the smells we might experience today will be the triggers to memories in our future, huh?
