Smells

I was thinking the other day. Actually, I was reading. I have a book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life which I pulled out the other day for some reason. It's really quite interesting. As the title suggests, the writer has chronicled her life encyclopedia-style. Somewhere in there (under Childhood, maybe?) is a table called "What my childhood smelled like."

As an aside here, I should mention that every time I read a good book, it makes me want to write a book. Usually the same type of book that I've just read. For instance, if I'm reading Jane Austen, I usually spend several days using words like amiable and . . .well, that's it really. Anyway, moving on.

So, ever since I read that a few weeks ago, I've been thinking about what my childhood smelled like. I heard somewhere that of the 5 senses, smell is the most directly linked to memory. I think I believe that. There is a certain brand of cigarette smoke that, whenever I smell it, I immediately remember Royal's Stadium as a little girl. And the smell of fresh cut grass always reminds me of our yard in Kansas City.

Another smell linked only to my childhood: barf. I was brutally reminded of this fact over the weekend when both of my girls got a stomach bug. I realized that I haven't smelled barf in many, many years. I hope never to smell it again. However, as I was cleaning up the carpet (and then the crib, and later on some jammies and blankets) I realized that barfy smells will be a part of my job description for the next 20 years or so.

And it made me wonder if maybe the smell will be "redefined" as a result. Like maybe I won't link it to being a little kid, throwing up in the middle of the night with my mom holding my hair back for me anymore. Maybe from now on the memory that yucky smell triggers will be of me holding Jacey's hair back for her instead, rubbing her back and whispering "shh, shh" as she sobbs in near hysterics.

And what else? Will the smell of chocolate chip cookies remind me of making them with my mom as a kid, or with my kids as a mom? What about the smell of laundry? Right now it reminds me of my mom's house. Will it change and remind me of my house someday?

Right now I'm tempted to say "I hope not." But who knows. Time will tell. Maybe someday I'll want to remember this point in my life as much as I want to remember my childhood. Maybe someday I'll be as fond of the memories I'm making now as I am of the memories I have from back then.