The smell and sound of a diesel engine. It makes me think of roller coasters, when you’re getting into the seat and getting buckled in, etc.
Also, the smell of vinyl, like the new toys we’d get at Christmas.
I tend to associate memories with everything. Smells, sounds, tastes, etc…
Smells : Freshly cut grass= summer vacation or baseball practice (both great memories)
Sounds : distant thunder at night= feeling safe and secure in my bed as a kid
Tastes: Ginger ale = staying home sick from school.
I drive my family CRAZY because nearly EVERY 70’s or 80’s song has a memory attached to it and I kinda spout 'em off when I hear 'em.
IE “The night Chicago Died” would come on the satellite and I’d say “Playing kickball with my buddies Steve, Joe and Tommy in the park”. My kids just roll their eyes.
White bread with bologna and yellow mustard
My grandma has late stage dementia but in her better years was truly one of the most wonderful, gentle, sweet individuals you’d ever have the honor of knowing. It didn’t matter if I was stopping in to quickly drop off something to her house or staying for a week, she HAD to offer up a bologna sandwich. She couldn’t stand someone leaving her house without SOMETHING, and especially an empty stomach. Bologna sandwiches, even though I detest them, remind me of her kindness
Bayberry Candles
Remind me of Christmas as a child, my mom always made it magical.
I’m a little embarassed about this, but Drakkar cologne. It was the scent of choice for nearly every guy I knew as a teenager and it reminds me of those dramatic, carefree, and hormone-filled days…
McDonalds Breakfast. Wheneve we go on vacation, an early morning road trip, etc we swing through the drive-through at McD’s for a greasy but indulgent breakfast. Any other time I get it it feels like I should be going somewhere.
Hearing the theme song to the “Muppet Show” reminds me of being 5 years old and being safe in my childhood house, wearing footed jammies watching the show with my parents.
Mine’s Polo cologne. Same reasons.
When I worked in a Pet Store I loved the smell of the water when I was cleaning aquariums - it reminded me of the beach. I used to stand at the sink while the water was draining and just inhale…
My Dad told me a story about when he was a very little boy. His family was visiting his aunt & uncle, who had a flower distribution business (delivering flowers to florist shops.) My Dad snuck down to the basement one morning and sat unseen on the steps watching his aunt & uncle package up the flowers. He says the smell of fresh-cut flowers always takes him back to that moment, which would be about 60 years ago now.
Hearing rain on a tin roof.
The way the sidewalks smell after a rain.
The sound chickens make. Not just the quiet, constant clucking. The ba-BWAK.
Recognizing someone’s cough.
Seersucker.
Mandolin music.
Frogs and tadpoles.
Kids with lost baby teeth.
Chrysanthemum tea, because that’s the tea my family always ordered when going out for dim sum.
A little embarrassing, but that awkward position that dogs get into when taking a crap always cracks me up.