I'm always amazed by how evocative smells and sounds can be. Anything from a whiff of perfume to the comforting aroma of newly baked bread, brings back powerful memories. The subtlest of scents can bring tears to my eyes for a painful love or a smile to my face thinking of another.
Today was the barest traces of cologne that stayed in the wake of a hurrying colleague, reminding me of the hours I spent crying over an ex-boyfriend, trying to dispel the sense of rejection. In that short breath, I could see his face and feel the pain as if it wasn't two years ago.
Walking back, a hint of incense, carried on the light evening breeze from the hundreds of joss sticks burning for returning spirits, whisked me back to my grandfather's funeral, to the gravity and sorrow of the ceremony, and the very first significant loss I felt.
Then it was the sharp tang of chlorine from the nearby swimming pool that dragged me back into the humid nights spent training with other aspiring swimmers, finishing lap after lap, pull after pull in an endless chase to fly faster.
Today it felt like I was living in the past with a day taken from the future.
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