Saturday, June 4, 2016

Sparking a memory...


It's funny how one certain thing can immediately spark a memory. It is instant.  It could be a song you heard, or a scent that triggers a particular place or event you attended.  It is memory in its most simple form.  It sits there in our brain, just waiting for the opportunity to remind us of something that we experienced.  If it was very enjoyable or even the opposite, our memory is at the ready with that one spark to trigger it.  I had just that spark this morning while cutting into a fresh pineapple.  I rarely buy them fresh, and it is unfortunate because they are simply delicious!  (Note to self....buy more fresh pineapple).  This spark brought me right back to sitting on a carpeted living room floor with my teen boyfriend while his mother prepared fresh pineapple for us to snack on. She brought it out to us and set it on the coffee table where we sat on the floor.  I thought how luxurious and royal this simple moment felt.  I thought how beautiful and considerate this mother was for giving us this wonderful treat.  Tell me, what has sparked your memory recently?

2 comments:

Scott said...

I had the scent of something recently the triggered the memory of my Dad. He was a flight engineer that flew out of JFK airport in NYC and had a three hour commute from RI before (and after) every flight. Sometimes when his company called him on short notice to cover for a flight he would have to fly commercial from a local airport to get to JFK on time. So he would ask me to drive him to T.F. Green airport in Warwick or what was then called Trumbull airport in Groton-New London. He would ask me to stay behind until his flight took off just to make sure there were no delays or last minute changes. Waiting behind a fence to watch I would always catch the smell of jet fuel in the air.

Lately I've been walking and jogging near a library and park area that is not too far from an airport and off in the distance I can hear and see the airplanes taking off. When the wind is blowing in my direction I will catch the scent of jet fuel and it immediately takes me back. I think about my Dad and the drives we took together to the airports and sometimes the time pressure he was under to catch a flight. He passed away 33 years ago today on June 19, 1983 on Fathers Day, which happens to coincide with the same day for this year. I miss him today and think of him often and remember him always when that certain scent happens to drift by in the air.

Gail said...

Scott,

Thank you so much for that lovely memory shared here. Isn't it simply amazing how just one thing can transport us to that precise time in our lives? My late brother was born on June 19th, 1960, which was on Fathers Day that year, and this year my heart strings were tugged real hard. I hope your fathers day was enjoyed with your family by your side.

Regards,
Gail