In honor of our last full day here, some of my colleagues and I slacked off tonight and left work at 6:00 instead of 7:00. We are kicking ass and certainly deserved the evening off for a change.
I took them back to their hotel and ran over to the Oak Brook Mall for some window shopping (Manolos are still safe at Neiman's). This "mall" is outside, so even though the stores are configured as in an inside mall, you're under the sky as you walk between them. The weather forecast today called for storms rolling in tonight and tomorrow. This does not bode well for get-away day tomorrow, but the warm breeze and the scent of thunderstorms in the air (ozone? must look that up) got me thinking.
Scents-smells, odors, aromas, whatever you call them-must reside in an ancient part of the human brain-way down deep in the instinct section, because a scent memory stays with you your entire life. Certain scents always conjure associated memories or feelings, even if you don't consciously know or understand them.
My first scent memory goes way back, so far back that I have no memory of it. Constant Comment tea by Bigelow-
it's been around forever and smells lovely-like oranges and cinnamon and comfort! Every time I'd catch a whiff of the aroma as an adult it was deja vu-I knew that scent! but how? I never had it around, and never remembered drinking it. So why did it smell so familiar and special to me-like a little piece of home?
One day I stumbled on the answer. My mom and I were enjoying an afternoon tea (at the Four Seasons in Philly) featuring Bigelow teas. She ordered Constant Comment, and when they brought it to the table, I mentioned my bewilderment at how familiar it smelled, even though I never remembered having it before.
She laughed and told me that the leaf tea used to come in metal tins, and was her favorite tea when I was a baby. Every time she finished a tin, she'd put it my playpen for me. She said that I loved them and always had one close to me while I played.
Mystery solved-that scent memory resided so far in my past that I didn't actually remember it, but the aroma flipped a switch somewhere deep in my brain, flooding me with feelings of comfort and love.
I'd love to hear about your scent memories-dig some up for me!
What a great story! It's amazing that even though you have no memory of playing with those Constant Comment tins in your playpen, the scent stuck with you all those years. We hope you still enjoy the scent (and taste!) of Bigelow Tea's very first tea. Thanks for the post!
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