Scent Memory

As a freshman in college, at some orientation or fellowship gathering we were asked to share a scent memory as an "ice breaker".

What is a scent memory?

A scent memory is when you remember a place, time, person or event when you smell a specific scent. 

All of us have scent memories.  It is part of our psychological make-up!  I absolutely love the idea of using scent memories as an "ice breaker."  It gives a little more insight into the person you are getting to know.  A scent memory is always tied to a story.  The story gets you to open up a little more about yourself and share on a deeper level. As a shy person, this would give me a way to step out on a topic that was easy.

Here are some common scents that trigger many people's memories that are easy to identify and share stories with others:

Rain on hot pavement (asphalt)
Freshly mown grass (hay)
A baked holiday goodie (pies, cookies)

I bet just reading those three triggered a memory for you!

Here are a couple of my scent memories:

Orange Blossoms -The smell of orange blossoms always makes me think of Indian Princesses (The YMCA had a program when I was a kid to promote Father/Daughter Bonding - You were divided into tribes and basically went camping with other girls and their fathers - I think they are now called Adventure Princesses to be politically correct).
Anyway, the camp we went to was in Micanopy, a tiny town in Florida near Gainsville (or at least it used to be a tiny town).  Well, we lived in South Florida so the drive to the camp took us up the Florida Turnpike. When I was a kid, north of Orlando on the Turnpike was nothing but Orange Groves for miles and when they were in bloom it was the sweetest smell.  Sadly, most of the orange groves along the Turnpike no longer exist!

Kerosene -  I rarely encounter this smell anymore, but this immediately makes me think of my grandmother's house (GG's mother).  It has a distinct smell.  My grandmother used a kerosene stove to heat her house.  I was on a holiday trip in Cambodia when I smelled kerosene and it threw me for a loop.  Here was a smell I associated with colder weather and my grandmother's old house, but I was in sweltering heat in a small town in Cambodia.

Not all scent memories are pleasant!  I think it is God's way of protecting us.  Like the smell of gas.  For me it is the smell of hot electrical wires - it has a distinct scent.

This leads me to talk about scents in another way.

You - Your Home - Your Home Country - ALL have a unique scent.

You rarely can smell yourself or your home - and I'm not talking when you stink from sweat.  I'm talking about your signature scent.  It is a blend of your pheromones, the shampoos you use, perfumes you might wear and foods you eat.  Same with your home - It is a blend of each of the home's occupants, including pets, the cleaning supplies you use, laundry detergent, the foods you cook, and the building products used in the home.  You may notice the scent of your home when you've been away for a while on vacation, or if you can remember when you came home from college - it was the home scent.

The only other way I can describe it is by Sears stores.  No matter where you are in the USA - Sears stores have the same smell - To me it smells like tires and fabric, might be different for you.

Well, I think your home country has a scent too.  It is unique.  You'll notice it upon repatriation if you've been away awhile.

What prompted this post was the smell of Jasmine and Sunblock!  

Just me saying those two scents probably prompted a Scent memory for you expats!

What place or country was it ? ? ?

Those two scents together immediately make me think of Thailand!  It seems most taxis in Thailand have Jasmine hanging from the rearview mirror.  Most hotels present you with a Jasmine wreath on check-in and most of my trips to Thailand were to Phuket and we were there to enjoy to beach.  For me, this involves copious amounts of 50 sunblock as I am VERY fair skinned and burn easily.

I am going to make a game of this tonight at supper! I'll encourage you to do the same with your family.  You might just learn something new about your spouse or children!

I'm going to name a scent and ask each person what it makes them think of.

PRATA . . .

Cinnamon . . .

Sawdust . . .


For the Christians among my blog followers here's a verse for you:

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.