Weather and Smell Reminiscence

Reminiscence to me implies that swirly odd sensation when you think of past moments, and they are brought back to recall with some sensory stimulus and impact. Generally this hits me when I see someone, and not being the greatest with names, I think “I know that person, don’t I?” But, that general sense of being aware of something else to bring up a memory that is so strong that it invokes the remembrance.

I think it is smells and weather that impresses upon me so strongly. The smells of coffee hit me just right walking down the hallway at work, in the afternoon when the coffee smell is just starting to stale. For just a moment I am standing in my grandmother’s kitchen, smelling the remnants of her morning coffee. Tonight, I had my hair cut and taking pity on me in my state of having a cold, the stylist used peppermint conditioner. What a wonderful thing by the way – peppermint conditioner! Anyway, for just a moment I could almost taste the butter-cream mint that was made for a party held years ago. The texture and thickness, I could almost taste them. Another thing struck me today, as I walked outside, the wind caught me and brushed across my face. Spring coolness, and I was back in the Tetons and feeling the morning coolness of the mountains.


If you would remember me by a smell, what would it be? Freesia, coffee, Watkins, marigolds, and lavender, fresh bread, and darkest chocolate? Pine needles, candles, tea tree oil, vanilla, and dirt? Daisies, dogs, ink, and old books? If I remember you by a smell, what would that be? A cologne, Dial, sweat, leather, wood-smoke, steak on a grill, the first snow, the spring rain?

Planks & Splinters

I’m accompanied on the couch by a body pillow, a regular pillow, and two of those fiber fill small squishy pillows. Somehow, those have all been formed together to hold my ankle and leg in a semi-comfortable positions. Otherwise, it feels like someone is taking a migraine headache, stuck it into my leg and stretched it out over my toes. Then, they wrapped yarns of pain around my ankle and leg all the way up to my knee. So, the pillow conglomeration confederation is in place and offering a little bit of relief and aid.

Yesterday was the Fall Festival of 2009 at my church, a day of music, games, crafts, bonfires, s’mores, fun and sore feet. Oh, and of course – home made doughnuts which were incredible and the fire department came to showcase one of the trucks.

Being rather immobile part of the time has forced me to slow down a bit, not by choice you understand. However, slowing down isn’t such a bad thing at times, though I do recommend a different method of momentum breaking. Sitting yesterday at the Fall Festival, I was watching many different members of the church body and the community come together for fellowship time. People pulled their different skills, talents, opinions, ideas, and worked together for a common purpose of serving the community. When you have so many people working together, even with the best of intentions, conflict can occur – after all people are messy. Sitting there, one leg propping up the other on a folding chair, I thought about planks and sawdust.

It is so easy to slip into a mindset of negative thought and words, tearing each other down. But, if I take the words in Matthew 7 seriously, I need to consider what plank is in my eye. Now, I wear contacts and know how uncomfortable sticking things in your eye can be – but a plank! That makes me think of a beam of wood, a grained conjunction of particles containing my own issues, my own sins. Before I open my mouth to complain about your sawdust, am I seeing beyond my own plank? Let’s strive to be a coherent body, a healthy collection of parts making a whole. I will work on disciplining my mind and words to address my plank. Will you?