Life's Flashbacks

No, it's not the cloudy view of the camera going back in time. It's not the dreamy remembrance of a past long gone. What it is, is life's flashbacks. Out of all the senses, I have only, one seems to take me back to another time and place. I can see imagines of times gone, I can touch objects from the past, I can hear songs I used to like, and I can taste foods I've enjoyed, but only smells seem to take me back. Smells can be so different and unique that smelling the same smell again will take me back one, five, or ten years. Why do we wear colognes and perfumes? Why does the smell of a grandparents house remind you back to being a child? Why does the smell of spring flowers remind you of times past? Smells have a distinct impact on memories. If you think about it we are always touching, tasting, seeing and hearing, but most of the time we smell nothing out of the ordinary. Smelling something I haven't in ten years will bring memories long forgotten. Smells are life's way of providing flashbacks.