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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

On Jasmine

One minute, I was walking in a crowded Bombay market dodging shoppers with bursting bags, trying to avoid stepping onto banana peels or into potholes. The next minute, I was an eight year old running barefoot on a springy lawn, chasing dragonflies, plucking flowers.

I savoured the moment; gulped in the fresh, fragrant air. Only then did I wonder how I got there.

The answer was one I knew- the flower seller had done it to me.

Isn't it strange how scents have the ability to take you back in time and space? Jasmine flowers always do that for me.

_____
A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Last year, it was J for Journey

20 comments:

  1. MarjorieApril 12, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    The sense of smell is the one most connected to memory. Clover reminds me of my childhood. Lilac also brings me back. Lilac is also my favorite scent in the world.

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  2. Faith PrayApril 12, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    This photo is Singular, and your writing is melodic. Lovely drabble!

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  3. AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    So true! Smell is an amazingly strong sense!

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  4. Tiger85April 12, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    Wonderful post. I had this experience at the store a while back. This lady was wearing the same perfume my grandmother wears and it took me back to when I was a small child. =)

    Poetry, Quotes and Book Reviews.

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  5. UnknownApril 12, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    Many of my memories are locked into the sence of smell, great post!

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  6. Debra She Who SeeksApril 13, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    Nothing is more evocative than scent, it's true.

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  7. Jan MorrisonApril 13, 2011 at 1:59 AM

    oh, now I want to live somewhere where they sell jasmine flowers in the market place. wait! I must be jealous. lovely drabble my dear drabbling queen.
    Jan Morrison

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  8. Deb and BarbaraApril 13, 2011 at 2:02 AM

    Fragrance is so important to me. I wish we had jasmine. But I'll settle for the budding green of May here. Cherry blossom, grass, warming earth. So ... mmmm.
    B

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  9. Alex J. CavanaughApril 13, 2011 at 2:19 AM

    Food smells do it for me!

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  10. Stephanie VApril 13, 2011 at 3:10 AM

    So true! Scent is such a wonderful reminder of times past. Happy or sad, It must be very hard to live without that ability.

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  11. L. Diane WolfeApril 13, 2011 at 3:36 AM

    The scent of moss always makes me think of my childhood.

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  12. Gregg MetcalfApril 13, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    I agree, had to be the flower seller! Fragrance or smells can take one back to an experience so easily and quickly. They can be very powerful.


    Gregg Metcalf
    Colossians 1:28-29

    Gospel-driven Disciples

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  13. AnonymousApril 13, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    Happens to me all the time. Same with sounds or images. Senses are extremely potent!

    www.TheRegalRenegade.com

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  14. Luana KrauseApril 13, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    That happens to me, too. Fresh cut lawns take me back to when I was a kid running in the backyard in the summer.

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  15. Ann SummervilleApril 13, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    I remember hiking in the foothills when I lived in California and I suddenly smelled something that reminded me of Spain - probably similar vegetation as the climate is similar.
    Ann

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  16. Diane Marie ShawApril 13, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    I love the fragrance of Jasmine.

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  17. Hilary Melton-ButcherApril 13, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    Hi Natasha .. I can imagine the difference in the smells of Bombay and the scent of fragrant jasmine by a child wandering, musing amongst the buds of the bushes .. just as we all have done. It's the contrast of today v yesterday's innocence .. and Jasmine is such an important flower in India. Loved this drabble - thank you .. I've never been to India - but you evoke thoughts here ..Hilary

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  18. Mary@GigglesandGunsApril 13, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    Fresh baked bread still makes me cry after 25 years.

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  19. SueannApril 13, 2011 at 3:54 PM

    Oh how true!! A scent can carry us to so many places. What fun!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  20. LTMApril 13, 2011 at 8:37 PM

    I've got some jasmine shampoo on the way to me, and every time I use it, I'll think of you~ :D LOL! <3

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