I'm not a writer at all but something happened today, and after I was over the initial shock, I began thinking about things.
We've had several posts here lately, including mine, about what causes cravings, urges, or memories of smoking so far along in our quits. We've wondered what type of addiction this is, Physical/Mental, AFTER the nicotine is out of our bodies. I've wondered about it myself and have come to the conclusion that the human brain is so complicated. Lord only knows why some things are brought to the front of our memories, causing a physical reaction in some way.
My Dad passed away 7 years ago due to complications from Diabetes and heart disease. Right after he passed away, for months and months, maybe even years, I would hear a sound, smell a fragrance, hear someone say something that Dad use to say, and I'd break down into tears. Anyone who's lost a loved one knows exactly what I'm talking about. Today, seven years later and right out of the blue, it happened again. I ran down to the general store (Yes, the little town I live in actually has a general store) and while I was in the store, there it was... That fragrance of a hair product mostly used by older men called Brilliantine. Dad used it for as long as I can remember. That fragrance took my mind to Dad and a lifetime of memories of him. Then came those tears in my eyes to where I couldn't blink or I'd give myself away that I was actually crying in public. I got that lump in my throat and my chin started to quiver. My Dad, his life, the times we had together, the fact that I no longer have him, and damn it I want him here, came flooding back to me. A fragrance caused this to happen. That fragrance was a TRIGGER for me but it triggered me to long for my Dad. That's how the mind works.
I can look at a pink buttercup and instantly think about Easter. When I was a kid, I'd walk home from school and see the pink buttercups in bloom, the weather warm and sunny, and it was always in April when I spotted those buttercups. To this day, those pink buttercups trigger me to think of Easter then I get excited, happy, and flat out giddy. Funny how the mind works.
Falling leaves not only trigger me to think of Fall coming but it's a huge trigger for me that Halloween will be