I’ve set myself a challenge. For the next seven days I will be posting a picture- a scented snapshot if you will- of something or somewhere in my everyday life that is connected with a scent memory. I’m doing this as an exercise in blogging daily, but also to increase my awareness of the way in which I’ve made connections to things/places via my sense of smell.
Window.
This is the window in the bathroom of the delicatessen where I work. For four years I have looked at this rooftop view whilst washing my hands with Carex Moisture Plus hand wash. I have stood here whilst recovering from an overload of stress, I have stood here whilst planning my wedding, I have stood here whilst pregnant and I have stood here contemplating a complete change of career.
It might be a dull view, the scent of hand wash ordinary and uninspiring. But this spot on my personal geographic map has witnessed so much change and so many life altering plans. I’m soon to leave this place, but should I ever wash my hands with this particular soap elsewhere, I’ll be transported straight back to this place behind the flaking window pane, staring at slate roofs and planning my future.
Epiphany 
Lovely post. I know that the smell of vegetable soup, coupled with bleach, always takes me back to the Night Shelter for homeless people that I worked in when I was in my twenties. It’s like a wormhole back in time – straight away I’m walking through those institutional corridors, and remembering the guys that I worked with. I’d never thought about the connection between scent and workplaces (and the experiences that we had while we worked there), so thank you!
And thank you for visiting! There are a lot of scent memories in the deli, it’s a pretty smelly place, it’s just that the window in the bathroom is kind of removed from the hustle and bustle of the shop, it’s a little contemplation space. Olfactory memory is an incredible thing 🙂