scents and memories

Its funny the things a smell will evoke. Sometimes its a strong memory, or a nostalgic feeling. Smells can make us happy or sad, or give us really bad headaches.

Today, I watched the funeral procession leave. Then some of the ladies from the church stayed behind and began to set up for the repast. As the smell of burnt coffee wafted down the hallway, I had a brief memory of Nordstrom before realizing that it was not "Nordy" quality coffee but something more fitting for a church-sponsored event. Then I smelled store-bought coffee cake, and that combination mixed with the lingering smells of embalming fluid and old people from the morning's events reminded me of a reunion of my dad's geneology group. After that I began to smell catered ziti, the kind that float in a pan of water with a heat candle underneath it. And for some reason, that smell made me feel panicky.

I cannot remember what happened involving ziti and a dangerous situation, but some part of me associates that smell with danger. It is a strange thing, the way the brain makes associations. But that panicky feeling is what made me start thinking about all the smells and the memories, and this distinct lack of a memory intrigued me.

Thats all. Just a comment about how weird the mind is.