Barbara: Even if you haven’t
read the novel (and, sadly, I have not), like me, you’re probably familiar with
the “involuntary memory” phenomenon made
famous by Marcel Proust in Remembrance of
Things Past: the one where inhaling the fragrance of freshly baked little
cakes known as “madeleines” suddenly brings him back to a very specific (and
lovely) time in his childhood.
We all have vivid memories
triggered by sense-experience. What first five (lovely) memories do you recall?
1. The smell of a warm field
of wildflowers brings me back to ambling through a warm field across from my
house on a sunny day when I am 12.
2. The smell of apples in an
orchard brings me back to a road trip through the Okanagan Valley when I am no
older than 3.
3. The sound of a car signal
ticking on a dark drive brings me back to those nights in childhood when I
would be hovering near sleep, lulled by the rhythms of the motor and my quiet
family around me.
4. A baby’s head. Of
course—the sweet heads of my own babies.
5. The smell and taste of
grilled fish brings me instantly back to my honeymoon in Portugal, sitting at a
beachside café with Phil and eating the most delicious grilled sardines ever, washed
down with fruity, chilled sangria.
Deb:
1. The smell of the mimeograph machine that I used
to use in school—hot fresh smell of the ink. Takes me way back.
2. The smell of "kiddie" lipstick in
those play makeup kits.
3. The boy's baby head. Yeah I have to share that
one with Barb. Perfect.
4. Lilacs, lavender, and wild raspberries remind me
of Granny and Grandpa.
5. Plasticine—wow.
