Last summer I was cycling down a street in Montreal on a hot humid night when WHAM it hit me! There’s that smell!
Barbeque smoke wafted through the air, and the humidity added to the intensity. I am immediately taken back 30 years to a street in Bangkok. I recall vivid details of my first night in that big overwhelming city. Smell is the magic key to unlock our memory bank.
We’ve all had that experience. You are going about your day and all of a sudden a scent grabs you by the nostrils and pulls you into a time warp. We are taken back to a place and time that was significant to us.
It’s powerful stuff because we seem to have no control over the emotions that can come with the memory. It might be longing for someone or somewhere.
I recently picked up a Time’s special magazine about Memory. It has an article devoted to the strong connection of smell and memory. Apparently even though we live in a highly visual world, research has shown that of all the senses, smell is the one most emotionally potent.
Can you think of memories that are directly connected to smell? What stories would they bring forward for you?
We are very excited here at Visual Life Stories to have another legacy book off to the printers, for the Ferrari – Fugaccia family.
With these memories collected together, Aida and Cesare will never be forgotten. Their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will know their story, from humble beginnings to making a life for their children in a new country.
It’s powerful stuff. We are ready to help you with your family story. Get in touch and let’s talk about how to help immortalize someone you love (and hey, it certainly could be your own story).
