Power of a Scent

I was reminded again last week of the power of a scent.

I was at an office building for a meeting last week. I am not entirely familiar with the layout of the building and I took some of my early time to wander the halls instead of asking for directions.

My efforts struck a chord with me that brought back thousands of unpleasant memories.

As I walked by an open door, I smelled a whiff of the occupant's perfume. It immediately sent a signal to my brain that sounded like one of those annoying car alarms. This was not a pleasant smell according to my brain.

The smell wasn't bad... it wasn't body odor... it was just the smell of a particular individual that used to drive me up a wall. I associated that smell with horrible experiences.

Sooo... I stopped in my tracks, stepped back and looked into the office. I thought, "No way... it can't possibly be her. Why the hell would she be working here? My old boss doesn't have the experience to work in this location.... "

Upon looking in, I saw a woman that was "thicker" than I expected and her hair wasn't as blonde. I only saw the back of her... and I was 50% sure that it wasn't her... so I went to the meeting.

Rattled, I began mingling with the attendees and 10 minutes later, my fears were realized. It WAS her and she came barrelling into the room with her distinctive gait.

My olfactory senses hadn't let me down, while my eyes had. It is amazing at how the power of one scent can manipulate your emotions and feelings in less than a second. I was merrily walking along minding my own business when I was completely thrown for a loop by the scent of a former boss.

I wished it was the smell of pizza or brownies... but them's the breaks.