You are walking down the street when you get a whiff of something. It's a nice smell, but you can't immediately figure out what it is. You close your eyes and inhale deeply. All of a sudden you are overcome with a feeling of happiness and a sense of contentedness washes over you. The scent conjures up a wonderful memory that you haven't thought of in years. And that sense of inner peace stays with you throughout the day, and each time you close your eyes and think about it you can "smell" the scent again.
Here are my five scents:
Play-Doh. Man, one whiff of a just-opened can of fresh Play-Doh and I'm a kid all over again.
While not quite Andy's "horse manure" specifically, the smell of a barn on a working farm. That mixture of hay, straw, the sweetness of the grain, the undertone of fertilizers and lime and yes, a note or two of manure... We visited a local farm with the kiddo over the weekend, and as we approached the first barn, I caught a whiff of the smell and while others wrinkled their noses, I breathed in deeply because it took me right back to growing up on the farm. (Yes, I'm blocking out the memories of pitching manure, lugging water buckets and being up in the wee hours of a frozen winter's morning during lambing season...)
Certain brands of sunscreen. One sniff of them and I'm down the shore with my family on summer vacation. It isn't mere coincidence that the sunscreen brand I buy most often to use on the kiddo has the "right" smell.
This one might sound weird, but the smell of a New York City sidewalk in winter. I'm not talking eau de bum or anything, but more the smell of a hot chestnuts vendor's cart and hot chocolate mixed with yes, some exhaust fumes and also of snow in the air. It reminds me of going into the city with my family at Christmastime to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and go skating at Rockefeller Center.
That almost undefinable new baby smell. It's the smell that can be mostly forgotten, then you find yourself holding a new baby and bang, there it is again. I rediscovered this one last week when I was holding three week old baby Josie... How does one quantify that smell? A mix of baby soap, possibly powder, maybe a dash of Desitin... it is just that smell that says "new baby" (minus the spit up and poop, of course). I'm sure that there is something primal to it because when I smell it, I am overwhelmed by the urge to care for and snuggle up to the baby providing the scent!
Okay, there are my five. Care to share yours? Please do either in the comments section or on your own blog - please link back so we know where to read your answers!
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