I have been thinking about the power of different scents for some time. With today’s emphasis on visual stimulation, I think that people tend to undermine the power of different smells. I often find myself experiencing childhood memories just by walking around, which is quite a trip for my mind.

Of course, people have turned our “scent memory” into a business, by giving different enjoyable scents to bubble gum, detergents, toothpaste, etc. I think that times will come when people will use those artificial scents to judge the real stuff. A scene from the Matrix comes to mind, when the guy is eating a stake and says that even though he knows the steak isn’t real, it is still delicious. Yes, I think that we will be able to trick our minds in the future , but I personally prefer to stimulate my senses the old-fashioned way. Artificial scents, like online virtual worlds, can only go so far. But still, people want to smell (or smell like) tropical forests, vanilla,flowers, or whatever those marketers decide that it’s best for your nose. The shirt that I am wearing right now smells nice, but I really can’t decide if it’s morning dew or something else. It’s funny how all that we can say is “that smells nice,” without linking the scent to anything in particular.

(By the way, what’s the deal with fake flowers, can somebody explain that please? I think that people with fake flowers have some real issues.)

It’s very weird for me to smell an old perfume, I can almost feel the atmosphere of that particular time. One of my favorite movies is actually called “Perfume,” so if you haven’t seen it please do so. It really made me think about appreciating my sense of smell. Could it be that we have surrounded ourselves with so much metal and plastic, that Earth’s natural scent might disappear one day? If people had to choose between getting rid of their vision, taste, or their sense of smell, they will most likely choose the last one. When I think about it, we can live a pretty ordinary life without having a sense of smell (some might even like it).

People are very particular when they want to create the perfect atmosphere. Although, we don’t pay much attention to it, I think that we all have a particular idea of a “party” smell. Depending on the crowd, it may be expansive perfumes mixed with fine wine, or weed mixed with Milwaukee’s Best Light beer. Either way, we all have our idea of a party smell. In other words, we have artificial scents reminding us of our idea of a “fun time.” Well, unless our idea of a fun time is spending it outside in the mountains (but then we have that barbecue smell).

“Hey, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a party smell freshener — that way you can still feel like you are at a party, but from the comfort of your home. They might even have an outdoorsy type one. I am just predicting the future, that’s all.”

In the beginning I said how certain smells can bring me childhood memories. I often use different scents to travel back in time and remind myself where exactly a particular scent has made an impression on me. I have come to the conclusion that what smells nice for me, actually encompasses moments in time that I consider worthwhile for one reason or another. This is something very unique for every one of us and it is worth being aware of. Do you all have a scent that you link to an event in your life? I link the smell of a tent ( I don’t know how to describe it better) to when I was five years old and ran in my grandparent’s backyard all day. I guess they had that certain fabric around. It is very uplifting to sense that particular smell after many years, tens of thousands miles away, and still be reminded of that time and place. A real trip.

PS. Another one of my favortite movies (ever since I was very little) is “Scent Of A Woman,” so don’t be surprised by my fascination with scents. And please watch that movie.

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