songs, scents and it's yesterday once more - #acnotes

To those who drive or ride more often daily or go on long rides to just about any destination - where do you mostly focus? The road ahead or the rear view mirror? Well, I guess you know where I'm getting at. A glimpse at the rearview helps, however one doesn't glare constantly at it. That said, we still find the past more comforting and simple because we remember it as we want it to be. Mostly, not as what it was. We leave behind so much of the past and use this sieve called memory to distil and bottle what matters most and what we clearly hold close to our hearts. Nothing wrong or right about it, it's merely an observation.

As much as memory is a prolific storyteller, memory is a fiendish fraudster too. It helps to know through whose eyes you're seeing the past. But, at times, you may want to set aside these biases and live briefly in that past and seek comfort when the present sucks. The long winding road you're on seems daunting. So, here's something, with your permission, I wish to excercise now. A memory from my past, bottled and labelled conveniently, as a pick me up and swig for days like these.

Whenever I listen to 'the' Carpenters, it takes me back to my summer vacations at my grandma's place when the smell of dosais and sunny side up eggs being fried on a kerosene stove in the kitchen would waft through the dining room. A peculiar blend of Old Spice brand aftershave and Cherry Blossom shoe polish would linger in the living room as my uncle left to work. The bathroom filled with the soapy scent of Chandrika. The bed room window with a mirror had Gokul Santol talcum powder and Ponds' cream aka snow wafting around as standard. And in the background, a tape of Carpenters would play softly. Well, I have a theory, which you may or may not agree to. However, let me still try to share it. There are two things that could trigger nostalgia - one is a song and the other is a scent. No magic mushroom/ pill, no time travel machine, no hypnotism. A familiar scent and a most often listened to tune from the past is all it takes and it's yesterday once more.

Now for a brief moment, as you listen to Karen Carpenter reminisce the years gone by, reach for a piece of paper and pen. Make a note of the songs and scents that could take you back to those yesterdays, once more. Keep it handy. This would double as that rear view mirror you might want to glance at, some times. And renew your focus on the road ahead.

Godspeed!

https://lynkify.in/song/yesterday-once-more/Fd7b9ZcL

PS: If you feel like sharing that song from your yesterday for the benefit of others reading this piece, feel free to add it in the comments.

#acnotes