the art of remembering

Reading an article in the most excellent frankie magazine on the intricacies of nostalgia, got me thinking about the kinds of things that transport me to the past.  The article, entitled 'rose-tinted' states:

"a recent Chinese study links nostalgia with a psychological state called "resilience" which is basically our ability to cope with life's little knocks. It found that people with resilience use nostalgia as a coping strategy."

How interesting.

When I was a little girl, I was given a lovely lockable diary. Recollecting the exact details is difficult - its puffy white cover with a pretty water colour illustration and elements of gilded gold - a little girl, perhaps a straw hat and puppy dog too.  It was filled with lined pages of various pastel shades, and the pages emitted a gorgeous girlie scent.  I cannot begin to describe the exact smell, but whenever I encounter it, I am immediately reminded of my special diary - and the smell of secrets. The safety contained in the writing on these pages was eventually lost to paranoid teenage years - but the smell always takes me back to a time when things were simpler.



SB xx