Fleeting moment

"Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth." ~Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses


I encountered this quote and found how true it is. I am sure most of the time, we will have trouble remembering something we had seen. What we see, we will inevitably forget but smell on the other hand is a much more significant aspect. The same scent which once accompanied us during childhood can bring so much nostalgia. Somehow, being exposed to the same type of scent brought us down memory lane and we felt as though we were experiencing the same moment again. It is as though a part of our brain has been unclogged. I love such moments. haha. It brings a really warm feeling.

Take my experience for example, I used to spray a strawberry scented mist on my hands before walking to tuition way back when I was young. The smell is somehow very strong that my dad often complained too frequently. Now, when I happen to spray the mist, I will somehow remember how I used to walk from home to the tuition place. Okay, this is a very lame example.

There are actually a lot of other occurences. The scent of papaya body butter from The Body Shop will always make me rememeber about Korea. Happy times happy times~

So, perhaps in years to come, certain smell can somehow trigger part of my brain to remember fleeting moments for instance, how clumsy my roommate is. ( She has not found my blog ) Just in case she finds it: perhaps in years to come, certain smell can make me remember how cute my roommate is. ( This is honest opinion )

Okay, just want to share an article I read from the star online about fleeting moments. It is not related to sense of smell. haha. Just click on the link below =)


Fleeting moments