Crucified, Mystified, Stupefied

I absolutely love those moments in life when I get completely consumed by a memory that was sensory triggered. For example; a few months ago I was lying on my bed and the sun was shining down through my window in the late afternoon warming the outer layer of my skin and the dust was conjuring up with every breath I took and breathed out and being lit up perfectly by the sunlight pouring in on the brink of sunset. I had the most vivid flashback to fifth grade after school, watching "Salute Your Shorts" re-runs, it must have been a Thursday because that was my favorite day of the week in elementary school and I was definitely in a great mood. "Salute Your Shorts" was followed up with a memory of playing Super Nintendo with my next door neighbors and listening to Frank Sinatra's "Duets" album (an after school obsession I've began to ahbor reminiscing on because it's undoubtedly embarrassing).

As I grow older I realize how much of my memory is triggered through a sense including experiences that invoke remarkably personal memories. Another example; I recently bought a pack of Trident Original Flavor gum vaguely remembering that my grandma chewed it regularly. Upon my first chew I immediately remembered driving in her Honda Accord listening to Ragtime cassette tapes (the woman had impeccable taste in music), chewing Trident Original Flavor and was mystified that I even could sense the way she smelled and the way she loved me, the way I felt when I was with Nana. How incredibly comfortable I felt in the passenger side of her car and how deeply in love she was with her grandchildren. My heart grew happy being able to feel that again and all because of a small stick of gum!

In "Blessed Unrest", Paul Hawken states, "Food has always been at the heart of cultural identity. The loss of its traditional foods is just as devastating to a culture as the loss of its language." I love that senses allow us to channel an experience or a memory sometimes long forgotten and in the bigger picture allows people to uniquely experience something they otherwise would never have the opportunity to.