remember when

Remember when you were a kid & all you wanted to do was be out in the sunshine & play with your friends in those never ending days of summer. Until an unexpected shower or two put a damper in your plans forcing you to wait it out, hoping it would stop so you could get back to the order of the day. Once it stopped raining, you barely waited a minute before heading out & joining your posse. Amid all the laughter & excitement, you barely noticed anything else, least of all the intoxicating scent the earth released after the first rain. I bet you notice it now, now that you're all grown up. Doesn't it take you back to that magical carefree time?

It rained here today after a dry spell of many many days. I love the smell of the earth right after the first rain. It's intoxicating, energizing & definitely a memory trigger. It takes me back to India. Most are surprised, but really there's no mystery there. Bermuda & most of India share the same sub tropical climate. So it's no surprise that the air would smell somewhat the same. The same goes for the foliage too. When we first got here I'd point out certain many plants & tell Hubby: Hey, that's just like in India. At first he'd poke fun saying I think everything is like India. That ended when he made his first ever trip to India in Dec 2005 & finally he understood what I was talking about. Besides I could hardly compare Bermuda's foliage to Canada now could I?

They say that scent is the most powerful memory trigger, perhaps, after food or maybe they're at a tie. I am not sure which one is the most powerful but they both trigger memories to my wonder years tying me to a certain place & time. The taste of apple juice, mashed potatoes & cucumbers, all separately of course, will forever remind me of my three year old self or so in Dubai. The scent of the earth after the rain will always remind me of my grade school days/vacations in India. It doesn't take much to leave you feeling so good reminiscing about yesteryear with not a care in the world. It's nice when life is like that, unexpectedly catapulting you into a makeshift time warp.

So, what scent/food triggers your memory? Feel free to post your comments.