The Scent of High School

Ah, Nostalgia. Sometimes you're just too much for little ole' me.

Now that my mom has finally thrown in the towel and started her retirement, she's hard at work cleaning out her house. So, naturally, every time she comes to visit us lately, she drops off a bag of "stuff" from my childhood bedroom.

In these bags, I've found tons of punk rock ticket stubs and a few treasures I'll never be able to toss- my teeny bop diaries included! Let's not even get into the embarrassment I experienced re-reading these old stories, scribbled in orange gel pen. SO cheesy! But let's save that for a different day.

How strange it is to fall back into the tales of my younger life, to remember all the drama, love and hilarity of the days of yore.

Well looky what we have here!

And even more strange, is to SMELL them! Tucked inside one of the bags, I found my old incense and burners. Still good after 15 years? Only one way to find out...

With a sinuous grin, I grabbed an old incense cone and lit 'er up. And as soon as the aroma hit the air...I kind of freaked out. 

Oh how I remembered...

It was like I was there again- back in my childhood bedroom, surrounded by my buddies. Bob Marley would be crooning in the background while we sat around, drawing on my headboard, telling stupid stories and checking our beepers for pages from our boyfriends that we'd totally ignore. Because we were just too cool, you know?

Isn't it amazing how one sensory trigger can flood your mind with memories? Man, it really took me back. 

So many scents remind me of particular times- Love's Baby Soft perfume, nag champa, Little Tree car air fresheners, Versace cologne, baby oil and Old Spice. What they do to me...

Helen Keller said, "Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived." She was right. 

What scents trigger your memories of yesteryear? Isn't it wild to remember?

XOXO From My Hearth to Yours