Coco Chanel Mademoiselle.

I have spent the last several days being acutely aware of every smell that comes my way. After reading sixty pages on the unique and understated attributes of smell, I have found myself analyzing each scent as it assaults me, soothes me, warms me, or sickens me. For me, one of the most interesting observations made by Diane Ackerman in A Natural History of the Senses was her comment on the power of smells to revitalize memories. She suggests that smells possess a remarkable power: "Unlike the other senses, smell needs no interpreter. The effect is immediate and undiluted by language, thought, or translation. A smell can be overwhelmingly nostalgic because it triggers powerful images and emotions before we have time to edit them" (page 11). Upon absorbing this idea, I quickly realized the truth to Ackerman's assertion as I almost immediately began thinking of smells that are associated with certain memories of mine. 

For example, no matter where I am I can recognize the smell of Bongo Java coffee and immediately images of pleasant afternoons spent with friends are brought to mind. The smell of ginger cookies conjure memories of a dear friend's house, while the scent of my own perfume reminds me of my mother taking me to Dillard's to buy my first bottle of Coco Chanel Mademoiselle. A whiff of a good friend's cologne instantly brings his face to my mind, and the sterile smell of a chemistry lab reminds me of my father... Seeing as I have waxed eloquent with examples of how certain smells are associated with certain memories, I believe that Ackerman knows what she is talking about.