What is old??
Styles? Music? Perfumes? Recipes? Bodies? Beliefs?
Who can define "OLD"?
I am always stunned by the power of a perfume. The ability of the olfactory sense, to transport me to another time, place, or feeling, is amazing.
I consider myself so lucky, to still have my sense of smell. I know many people begin to lose that sense once they are around 60. I am one of the lucky ones, who still has a sharp sense of smell at 65.
I can be transported to other times by perfumes.
Today, for no apparent reason, I was gifted with strong scents of a perfume I loved when I was younger.
This particular perfume was "L'air du Temps", by Nina Ricci. Oh how I loved this fragrance when I was a young wife. It spelled romance & exciting nights, of rapturous love, with the man I married. Many happy times are resurrected in memory when I smell this perfume!
Where did the strong odours come from? Was it some nostalgic memory, generating the scent, of days, (& nights) long gone? It seemed to arrive, unbidden, out of the ether.
I was reminded of songs of love & sentiment, that I have loved over the years.
There is a deep core part of me, that will always remain, in the magic of my past. I will always be, "Forever Young"
19 comments:
I think "old" is an old word. Today everyone says "vintage".
I am always amazed what can take me back in time - smells, music, a voice - the mind is a strange thing.
A few years ago, when J was in his 40's, he went through a battery of tests for allergies. It seems he was de-sensitized to those things he was allergic too, but along the way, he lost his sense of smell. When I smell a "memory aroma", I describe it to him.
I remember that fragrance you wrote of and others...like Old Spice after shave. My high school "steady" (another archaic word), wore Old Spice. He wore a football letter jacket. When he went away for Air Force Basic Training, he left the letter jacket with me. That scent of Old Spice lingered all the while he was away.
Remember, it's better to wear out than rust out.
I always knew you were young at heart Meggie!
I love this post and relate to it easily as I have an unusually acute sense of smell which has often transported me to places, events and relationships of the past, to my younger self, with s single whiff. It always reminds me of Proust and the madeleines.
L'Air du Temps has been my favorite perfume forever, the one I go back to when all else fails, my default setting.
In a sense (and in our senses,) we are, indeed, forever young.
I have a friend who is eighty-five and she is young and vibrant, because she laughs often, and hasn't closed her mind to new ideas.
I know a 49-year-old who is ground down by convention and whose mouth gets twisted when she makes disparaging remarks about her family. She is as old as the hills.
You, Meggie, are definitely forever young :)
Well, I lost my sense of smell. I have to put my nose right on something to smell it. Sometimes I don't smell the perfume, but I know its there because my nose gets stuffy, and I start sneezing.. and I have terrible allergies..
Meggie, I agree with all the others...you are young at heart.. I hope I am too!
Someone once said that it is not the years, it's the mileage.
I am a firm believer in that.
I also love L'air Du Temps! But the one that takes me way back is "Fiji."
My dad bought motherbon55it for me. It was the first time anyone, male or other, had ever bought perfume especially for me.....
I also love L'air Du Temps! But the one that takes me way back is "Fiji."
My dad bought motherbon55it for me. It was the first time anyone, male or other, had ever bought perfume especially for me.....
I adore perfume.
I wear it everyday.
I am yet to find a signature one though!!
because I have almost no sense of smell it's the crispness of the air that acts as my memory triggers.
Hi Meggie,
I have a Meggie:)
Thank you for visiting my site.
I LOVE yours and am adding it to my from other countries blog list. I can't wait to read it more.
My Megs studied in Australia her sophmore yr in college and loved it of course;)
Hi Meggie L'air du temps was always one of my favourites. My other favourite is Opium from Yves Saint Laurant. Oh I so love these smells and it is one of the few luxeries I spoil myself with
I must say I felt old today when I left the kinder with my Meggie (vomiting & feverish) and Joshua high on cake from his 'kinder party' and my car's battery was flat!!!!! Arrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
But now I am sippping tea, reading your beautiful words with the scent of Jasmine in the air and I feel young again! :)
You are SO RIGHT about the transporting qualities of a scent.
-J.
Scents are evocative.
I associate many memories, good and bad with fragrance.
As for age, I will reach 6-0 in Feb next year, but pride my self in being childish when it suits me. Because I can..lol
When I see kids these days with their styles and music, it makes me smile. I remember 'when' and hope they enjoy their youth, like I did mine.
hugs
xx
Do you know at the beginning of this post I was thinking of my mother's perfume and how just a whiff of it today takes me back to her dressing table and then you mention L'air du Temps, which is the one she used!!
Kimx
My husband bought me L'air du Temp in the 1970's. It was what I wore when my son was little. For him when he smells it he thinks of me. When my daughter was born I wore Channel 5. For her that is Mum.
Now I wear rose absolute...
we do change...
Interesting post. I think I will say something at the baby shower next week about smells and babies.
Thank you for something to think about.
Sherry
Sherry
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