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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Senses and Memories

You know what I think is amazing?

I think it is amazing how our senses are thoroughly tied to our memories. Or maybe it's how our memories are so thoroughly tied to our senses.

Last week, Matt and I went on a walk and the Red-Winged Black Birds were out in abundance. They have a very distinct call; one that I can identify anywhere. When I hear the call of a Red-Winged Black Bird, I am transported back in time, to northwestern Ontario, sitting in a boat in the Ord river, with my family. Our poles in the water, trolling up and down the river, fishing for walleyes. I can't hear that bird without feeling myself fishing in the Ord.


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A few weeks ago, I dug an old bottle of lotion out of my drawer, determined to finish up the almost-empty bottles still hanging around from last summer. I put the lotion on my dry arms and elbows, and I could smell the SPF in the lotion. I was immediately transported back again, to Canada, putting on sunscreen before heading out for a day of fishing in the sun. When I smell that lotion, I also remember back to last summer - putting on a daily lotion with an SPF to protect my fair, freckled skin.

Sometimes, I'll hear a song on the radio or on Matt's ipod while we're driving, and I'm instantly transported back to when we lived on Oahu, driving on the H3, through the mountains from Base to Waikiki. I can feel the breeze blowing into the open windows, wrecking havoc on my hair, as the humidity of the mountains seeps into our car. All because of that song. All because we used to listen to it often on that drive from Base to Waikiki.

Isn't that so amazing? How our senses can trigger crystal clear memories?

Does this happen to you too?

1 comment:

  1. Beautiful descriptions of what triggers your memories, and of the memories themselves. Continue to make more, and soak them into your senses!

    ReplyDelete

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