Have you ever smelled something that transports you back in time?
It comes out of nowhere and is a bit like deja vu. Lilacs, for example, evoke the most wonderful memory of my mother’s garden. And ocean air reminds me of New England summers and home.
Got you thinking?
It is not always a place, is it? The signature perfume of a first love might grab you, or maybe the Old Spice aftershave of Papa.
And how about that box or crayons, or play dough?
But yes, places….
I know the shuffling of dirt on a baseball field brings nostalgia to my youngest. And the smell of chlorine takes my oldest daughter to the starting blocks of her high school pool.
Lavender? That takes me back to the Tuscan countryside, along with dreams of going back. 
Sadly, not all smells are pleasant. I flashback to my introduction to Dachau Concentration Camp in the 70’s and a return in the 90’s. That smell still generates tears from my memory bank and prayer still comes to mind all these years later.
But funny, sometimes horrible smells are reminders of the most beautiful places on earth.
If you have ever been to the hot springs in Yellowstone, you will know exactly what I am talking about. 
So….Curious about why you remember smells? Turns out while sight is our strongest sense, smell is a close second. Smells enter through the nose into the olfactory bulb, which is part of the limbic system (and also called the emotional brain). Thus, locking scents into our memory bank.
So, now it all makes ‘scents‘, right?
Wind Kisses, Donna
Which smells evoke nostalgia in you? What smells conjure up memories for you? How about that box of crayons, or the campfire, or the smell of cut grass?
Wind Kisses 
I loved the smell of lilacs and looked forward to their bloom every spring. I miss that smell now since there are no lilacs in South Florida.
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I didn’t realize you didn’t have them there, but I guess they need the hard freeze. I tried candles, not the same. It really is a “home” smell for me. Thanks for stopping in.
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