Daily Question, September 18 What smell/aroma provokes a grateful memory? What is the story of this memory? 36 Reflections Share Click here to cancel reply.Please log in or Create a Profile to post a comment. Notify me when someone replies to my comment via e-mail. k'Care-Reena8 months agok'Care-ReenaWHAT SMELL/AROMA PROVOKES A GRATEFUL MEMORY? WHAT IS THE STORE OF THIS MEMORY? The smell of nature: trees and rain not car gas and other pollutions. The smell of nature tells me a story of free spirited and empowering inspirations. It brings the story of my ancestors (people from the land) and the benefits of living from the land and for the community. The smell of weed (not burnt just the flower pods) tells me a story of carefreeness (the fun times of the 70s). The courage in fashion, e...WHAT SMELL/AROMA PROVOKES A GRATEFUL MEMORY? WHAT IS THE STORE OF THIS MEMORY? The smell of nature: trees and rain not car gas and other pollutions. The smell of nature tells me a story of free spirited and empowering inspirations. It brings the story of my ancestors (people from the land) and the benefits of living from the land and for the community. The smell of weed (not burnt just the flower pods) tells me a story of carefreeness (the fun times of the 70s). The courage in fashion, expression, sense of self and passion/drive. The smell of chlorine at first provokes a memory from my childhood past and I think of the uncleanliness of public pools (this is my point of view respectfully so I do not mean to belittle any others beliefs in my entries). HOWEVER with that being said it provokes gratefulness memories because my parents have their own pool and I am grateful for their efforts to provide our family with it since it is something new to us. My fathers cooking tells me a story of when I was a child and my main worries of the night was what imaginary story I wanted to play out with my barbie dolls as my father fed me his beans :). This is an actual memory and reminds me of family and nurturing energies. Read More0 Reply TofuLove9 months agoTofuLoveThe smell of christmas trees, it always reminds me of my childhood when we’d set up a christmas tree and decorate it while eating sugar cookies and drinking hot cocoa. 3 Reply Ashley9 months agoAshley9/18 If I have to pick something specific, it’s the smell right after it rains on a warm day in early summer. It smells a bit like asphalt, and a little like earthworms, and is very clearly linked to my childhood summers. It reminds me of running barefoot around my neighborhood, playing with friends, walking to the pool, and fishing all in one scent. In my mind’s eye it is late afternoon, no parents around, with a happily screaming group of kids, and I’m not quite 7 years old. 5 Reply Linda9 months agoLindaMy grandmother’s baking bread–reminds me of love and feeling safe. 4 Reply Maeve9 months agoMaevePIne needle smell. It's invigorating and very refreshing, if not provoking "gratefulness." But happiness and delight. A week or so ago: swimming in a lake in New Hampshire, emerging from the water, and breathing in the scent of warm pine needles on the bank...lovely! Or when hiking through a pine / conifer tree area, and the scent of pine needles is wafting up from the forest floor, or carried on the breeze. And going into a plant nursery before the Christmas holidays, surrounded by the ...PIne needle smell. It’s invigorating and very refreshing, if not provoking “gratefulness.” But happiness and delight. A week or so ago: swimming in a lake in New Hampshire, emerging from the water, and breathing in the scent of warm pine needles on the bank…lovely! Or when hiking through a pine / conifer tree area, and the scent of pine needles is wafting up from the forest floor, or carried on the breeze. And going into a plant nursery before the Christmas holidays, surrounded by the fresh, pungent smell of fir. Ahh! Delicious! Read More4 Reply KC9 months agoKCFresh baking straight out of the oven – cookies, cake, a crisp. Wonderful memory of my grandfather in his small kitchen with an apron on, bringing out a fresh tray of cookies from the oven. These days my husband makes fresh cookies or scones while we watch Zoom church on Sunday mornings. For communion they are paired with coffee or tea. Yum! 3 Reply Mica9 months agoMicaSometimes I stop and smell the roses growing along the sidewalk when I walk to my son’s house. I’m reminded of a visit by my college roommate, when we went to the Santa Barbara Mission and she suggested that we smell the roses in their rose garden. 2 Reply Jenn9 months agoJennPine and fir trees remind me of my times spent hiking and feeling deep peace. Most recently I hiked in Colorado and I’ll often recall the hiking to relax and sometimes the smell of pine forest arises. It’s a powerful reminder of my belonging to the earth. 7 Reply Maeve9 months agoMaevepine and fir, yes! 3 Reply Marnie Jackson9 months agoMarnie JacksonBacon reminds me of Sunday morning breakfasts at my parents house and laughter. Garlic always invokes memories of good food and contentment. Forest smells reminds me of peace. 6 Reply sparrow9 months agosparrowperhaps the fragrance of freshly mowed grass . . . no story, just running through in my bare feet, just after the rain . . . 7 Reply Katrina9 months agoKatrinaWhen I was younger, in my early 40's, I ran daily, early in the mornings. Every day a different route from my house. Two of the routes took my by a beautiful old house with an chain link fence around it. And covering the fence was honeysuckle. In the summer when I was running I could smell the sweetness before I ever got there. And once I was at the house I just had to stop, stick my face in there and breathe deeply. It's a wonder I was never stung by a bee. I was so grateful for those runs, so ...When I was younger, in my early 40’s, I ran daily, early in the mornings. Every day a different route from my house. Two of the routes took my by a beautiful old house with an chain link fence around it. And covering the fence was honeysuckle. In the summer when I was running I could smell the sweetness before I ever got there. And once I was at the house I just had to stop, stick my face in there and breathe deeply. It’s a wonder I was never stung by a bee. I was so grateful for those runs, so grateful for my good health, so grateful for my life at that point in time. That smell reminds me of how good it felt to feel so healthy, young and free. Read More13 Reply sunnypatti9 months agosunnypattiVanilla. I’ve always loved the taste and smell if vanilla, and it often takes me back to being a little girl, hanging out with my great-grandma Jewel. She always had vanilla pudding pops for me, and I always loved my time with her. I can still hear her voice…so sweet 💫 6 Reply Michele9 months agoMicheleOoh this is going to be hard to pick just one.... I will have to pick the smell of my Nanny's German Potato salad. The smell of the bacon cooking, fresh cut up onions, and the vinegar mmmmmm. It is so delicious and served warm. I would always be the taste tester for my Nanny. She would ask 'does it need anything' and I would always say 'just a little more vinegar', lol. Both my daughters, my brother, my aunt and uncle all make her recipe. I love and miss her very much. She was such a great cook...Ooh this is going to be hard to pick just one…. I will have to pick the smell of my Nanny’s German Potato salad. The smell of the bacon cooking, fresh cut up onions, and the vinegar mmmmmm. It is so delicious and served warm. I would always be the taste tester for my Nanny. She would ask ‘does it need anything’ and I would always say ‘just a little more vinegar’, lol. Both my daughters, my brother, my aunt and uncle all make her recipe. I love and miss her very much. She was such a great cook. Read More6 Reply Howie Geib9 months agoHowie GeibThe scent of Rosa Rugosa and salt air, also known as the common beach plum rose found nestled along the eastern seaboard of the US. It sends me immediately into a calm space as hedgerows of it surrounded my childhood, enclosing our summers in the aura of our tribe. It’s sweetness is accompanied by hovering bumble bees and the sound of gentle surf, gull, laughter and suntan lotion. 7 Reply Pilgrim9 months agoPilgrimWe are blessed to experience the 4 unique seasons here. And so, for me, each comes with its own unique scents/aromas. In fall, in the garden and in the woods, leaves fallen and perhaps crunching underfoot, the transforming of plants moving toward the deep cold of winter. Even the beach seems to come with difference scents that envelop colder temps. The stories of these memories are the stories of my life at all ages. 6 Reply EJP9 months agoEJPIvory soap reminds me of my sweet grandmother who washed everything in it.. it was simple and pure, the way she lived and the way life should be. 8 Reply Lee Anne9 months agoLee AnneWoodsmoke wafting through the air carrying a story with it, pungent autumn leaves, a horse named Bubba, the abundance of scents as Spring makes her entrance, new-mown grass, freshly turned soil…all of nature, Creation itself. 7 Reply Dusty Su9 months agoDusty SuI’m Autistic and have a hyper good sense of smell. I can smell and feel some scents from memory. For example, recently I was lamenting to my boyfriend who lives on the other side of the world whom I’ve not seen due to COVID-19 for over a year, that I couldn’t remember his scent. Suddenly, I could remember it very clearly. Not only his scent in general, but how when standing next to him, it was different within every layer of clothing. I could feel the moisture, also the weight of each lay...I’m Autistic and have a hyper good sense of smell. I can smell and feel some scents from memory. For example, recently I was lamenting to my boyfriend who lives on the other side of the world whom I’ve not seen due to COVID-19 for over a year, that I couldn’t remember his scent. Suddenly, I could remember it very clearly. Not only his scent in general, but how when standing next to him, it was different within every layer of clothing. I could feel the moisture, also the weight of each layer. I gag 😬 in the street if people walk past me with chemical based perfumes. They all are nasty except some lemon based men’s aftershave. I can taste it in the back of my mouth for a long time afterward. Room sprays, ugh! Natural organic oils don’t bother me though. Which says something 🤔 I think. I love ocean. Nature. Food. But, needless to say, if I say the milk is turning and everyone disagrees, believe me it is. 🤣 Read More10 Reply Jenn9 months agoJennOne time I caught a whiff of pine forest when I was actively recalling a trip to the mountains! I was floored! That sensitivity you have has pros and cons, doesn’t it?! 4 Reply Dusty Su9 months agoDusty SuAbsolutely, pros and cons. 2 Reply Kevin9 months agoKevinI worked on area farms as a boy and attended agricultural high school and graduated from an agricultural college as well. I farmed for twenty years. The aroma of hay curing, a cow’s breath, or rich soil being turned while plowing, stops me in my tracks even fifty years later! 11 Reply Dusty Su9 months agoDusty SuWow… powerful our sense of smell. I wrote mine before reading yours. Ocean is my love… 5 Reply Mary Pat9 months agoMary PatThe aroma of a shoe shop immediately takes me back to my childhood. My parents had a shoe repair shop when I was little, and eventually it became a leather goods shop, and then it evolved into a gift shop with jewelry and greeting cards, but always good quality leather purses, billfolds, and jackets. It was divided into two parts; cards and gifts on one side, leather goods on the other. We have two shoe repair shops in our town, and when I walk into them, that smell of leather and polish takes ...The aroma of a shoe shop immediately takes me back to my childhood. My parents had a shoe repair shop when I was little, and eventually it became a leather goods shop, and then it evolved into a gift shop with jewelry and greeting cards, but always good quality leather purses, billfolds, and jackets. It was divided into two parts; cards and gifts on one side, leather goods on the other. We have two shoe repair shops in our town, and when I walk into them, that smell of leather and polish takes me back to my early childhood. Thanks for the memory! Read More9 Reply Howie Geib9 months agoHowie GeibMMMMMMMM….yes….the deep cool shadows of the tack room in a stable! the racks of saddles and rows of hung bridles! 4 Reply 1 2 Next » My Private Gratitude Journal Write an entry in your private gratefulness journal Get Started This site is brought to you by A Network for Grateful Living, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are fully tax deductible in the U.S.A. DONATE https://gratefulness.org/content/uploads/2015/03/GX-Gold-Participant-L.png Community Engagement Guidelines Privacy Policy [email protected] Connect with us on Social Media: © 2000 - 2022, A Network for Grateful Living Website by Briteweb