The Power of a Smell

I am always astounded by the power of a smell to transport one back and bring so many memories. It happened twice this past weekend, and feel happy for once about my hyper sensitive sense of smell.

The first was while driving in the country back home. My windows were down, the weather was PERFECT and a smell wafted in that literally made me feel like I was 16 again. What is it about Illinois and Iowa that make it smell so good ( and NO, I'm not talking about the hogs and pigs...well, they don't smell good, but I know some of you would go there). The dirt, the blooming trees, grass being cut, the mighty Miss., and even the wind seems to have a certain containment of smells that I just can't place. Whatever it is, I love it! I was 16, driving in the country with my best friends, blaring music, and doing things I'm sure we should not have been doing at 16. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of memories stored in my mind, but that smell made me smile and gave me a brief trip into the past. Thanks to all my friends, and especially my husband, who are all part of my past, and included somewhere in that breeze that wafted into my window.

The second was with a Persian rug my Mom brought back from Florence, Italy which had been in my grandmother's (Nonna) apartment for years. It's worth a lot of money (thanks mom and dad) and carries with it the smells of Florence. The traffic, the smog, the dust, the smells from Nonna's place all rolled up into this rug made over 100 years ago. It's stunning how that smell took be back again. How lucky I can close my eyes, smell this rug and have flashbacks from my early childhood in Italy. I looked at Dejan and was so excited..."It's Firenze!!!" So yes, I close my eyes and take a whiff of this rug and a tear comes to my eyes. I miss Italy, I miss my childhood, I miss my grandparents.