Someone near my desk at work is burning a scented candle.

It's a wonderful mocha-y smelling light scent, something that takes the musty smell out of the office. It's nice to have something natural in the air, and not the scent of natural gas that seems to crop up in spite of us alerting building management.

I'm not really pro-scent at work, since I've been too close to heavy cologne wearing people for too long, or there was a period in the evenings where a work-based yoga class burned the most pungent and choking insense I've ever had the unfortune to have attack the nerve endings.

But this smell evokes pleasant. relaxing memories.

It's interesting how smell can do that. I've read about it and heard about it, but it still amazes me.

I certainly associate specific scents with emotional states. I guess that's part of the reason perfumes exist, not that we don't really use them to cover up our unwashed body odors (well most people do). Perfumes, foods, flowers, even beers and gasoline. The smell of creamed corn is enough to make me gag, from a child to this day, and I think it's because of the association of being sick after having it once.

And I can still smell certain things after the fact, certain people, and that reinforces the memories. Those then in turn re-trigger with another association of the scent. It becomes a cycle.

Hopefully a positive one, like this candle, and not related to creamed corn.