This week, Amy and I decided to tackle the topic of smells and what were our favourites. For example, the best smell that Amy and I both agree on is the smell of old books.
So, like any self-respecting lady, I picked up my petticoats and gracefully walked down the West Wing here at The Heatley Cliff and perused our well-appointed library to get my fill. The smell of books permeates through the rooms here and and burying my nose in the spines of old, favourite books after cracking them open, immediately brings a smile, a sense of familiarity…. like an old friend.
And that’s when it hit me. On my list were smells that all had one thing in common…..the ability to make me recall people, places, books, movies and even little nothing moments.
My sense of smell has helped me navigate through this world by allowing me the opportunity to recall vivid and distant memories that help foster happiness, love, familiarity and creativity. But most of all, it reminds me to have an appreciation of the little things in life.
If I can smile because of the smell of a crisp, winter morning then I’ve got my priorities straight. Being able to step outside of one’s own quandries and savour a smell for the sheer pleasure of doing so is what living your life in the moment is all about. It’s a stressful world out there, Amy and I created The Heatley Cliff to escape it! And being able to literally stop and smell the roses has helped me to stay in touch with who I am and to realise that I have a life full of wonderful memories and experiences and that no matter what happens to me I have the ability to create more.
So take a moment to think about your favourite smells and why. It will not only bring a smile to your face but hopefully trigger memories and moments that bring you back a sense of who you are and the life you have lived.
Tune in to The Heatley Cliff here.
Old Book Smell – love it! I’m only 30 and I might sound like a complanative 80 years old…but: I’ve had a bunch of different individuals showing me their Kindle and telling me “you have to buy a Kindle, it’s so great, you can read sooo many books from it, books are dead” yadaydayada. I calmly reply to such individuals with: “but they don’t *smell* like a book – they’re just a computer”. It deeply disturbs me that some individuals blindly make the switch to Kindle, without being concerned about what they might be missing out on…the SMELL of a new book, the SMELL of an old book..the joy of roaming around a book store, waiting for that one book that you’re meant to read at that point in your life to just JUMP out at you. Kindle’s have killed the ritual of roaming, smelling and buying a book that is mine and only mine. I’ve gone on a rant…but the smell of a book reminds me that I have a soul and a heart (Kindle people clearly do not)..hehe
the smell of new vinyl! nothing like opening a new record sleeve. when i worked at sanrio, a lot of people told me that they loved walking into the store and smelling the smell of plastic. since i was there more than anywhere else, i didn’t smell anything, but someone sent me something sanrio recently and when i opened it it was this lovely fake fruity plastic smell and i finally knew what they were talking about 16 years ago.
haha, loved this! I literally smell EVERYTHING…and yes, old books are among the best.
I love the smell of books! New books especially. People look at me weird when I grab a book and smell it…maybe it is weird, but I love it!
so I don’t have a sense of smell…
but I love reading/hearing stuff like this because it’s something that I don’t quite understand!
I actually did this, this morning when I was making my coffee. I love the smell of coffee and I love that every morning I get to wake up have it with my bagel and watch greys anatomy. right now I only work three nights a week at a restaurant and i furiously look for a second job. and realized that when I get a second job my mornings like this won’t exist anymore so to appreciate the mornings I have had like this and the ones I will have left before I am workin two jobs non stop
my favorite smell is cedar. It reminds me of home!
also, check this out: http://www.demeterfragrance.com/704154/products/Paperback.html
Old book smell, bottled!
I read somewhere that smell is the most powerful memory trigger. And it looks by your post that this holds true for you. It definitely is the same for me. Lip smackers smells remind me of my childhood, tea reminds me of my bff, roses remind me of my parent’s house, etc. My favorite smell is grapefruit. It reminds me of New Orleans for some reason, maybe I ate a lot of grapefruit when I was little.