There's a huge lavender bush in my grandparents garden, it must be decades old now. Lavender has a gorgeous scent which is known for calming the mind. I remember making special bags of lavender with my Nanny, I would decorate the material and put the dried lavender flowers inside and she would sew them up with a sewing machine. I suffered with insomnia as a child and smelling dried lavender flowers in a lavender bag helped me fall asleep. When I went back to England in December, my grandparents gave me a lavender bag for Christmas. The scent of the bag immediately brought back the precious childhood memory of making lavender bags.
A similar thing happened to my Iranian friend when I travelled to London to visit her and we went shopping in Covent garden. We came across this small shop which sold things like angel statues, crystals and incense sticks. My dear friend started to smell the essential oils on sale and she was flooded with emotions as she held jasmine oil under her nose. Her grandmother had a huge tree of jasmine in her garden in Iran and she felt as if she was back there again. She bought that small bottle of essential oil and continued to smell it every now and then for the rest of the day. I know how difficult it is living away from your country.
I have my lavender bag here in India with me, I smell it when I am feeling homesick, sad or sleepless. I smelt it when I started to cry after realising how much precious time I am missing with my family and friends by living in India, when I realised my Nanny is actually 87 when I thought she was 82. Sometimes you forget that time is passing you by, silently. Living in India has really helped me appreciate so many things I used to take for granted, and for that I am so grateful.
...Smell flowers, make memories and appreciate every day.This there any scent that brings back special memories for you?About Lauren Mokasdar
Lauren moved to India from England after falling in love with an Indian man online, she now writes about her experiences as an English wife living in India.
