A curious, blonde 7 year old girl looks out the car window watching the shadows dance as the car swerves around the bends of the mountain. Her ears are popping as the elevation increases and she is eagerly waiting to see if she is the first to see the lake sparkling around the next curve. The anticipation grows, minute by minute- how long will it take? They pass another 'dancing deer' sign, but the deer are all hiding in the meadows. The blue sky is clear, the summer sun is growing hotter, all evidence of the snow storms that had covered these very roads has long melted away. As they finally reach the summit, and her mom rolls down the windows. She breathes in the smell of pine; fresh and crisp. The woodsy smell fills her nostrils and she can hardly remember what life was like back in the city. She has entered a new world; a vacation world- filled with hikes and swims and family and food. The smell has welcomed her once again to a time she knows will be filled with laughter and love. Peace grows in her heart and all is right and safe in her small world as she closes her eyes and feels the warmth upon her face.
25 years later, the exact scene is repeated.
This time the little girl has become a Mommy. She has traveled, and married; moved homes and had kids. But, every now and then, she is drawn back to that same mountain, and that same reassuring smell. Her daughter sits in the back, singing along and curiously looking out the window, while twirling a blonde curl between her fingers. She asks, "Mom, is driving relaxing?"
The mom responds, "Driving through these hills always relaxes me. Nostalgia wells up deep within me and it is like my very soul knows what is waiting around the next bend." She had come here when her son's adoption was pending. She had come here when she was seeking rest and peace. She had come here, once again, when things seemed out of control. And found a piece of her childhood preserved and untouched by the changes all around it.
This time the little girl has become a Mommy. She has traveled, and married; moved homes and had kids. But, every now and then, she is drawn back to that same mountain, and that same reassuring smell. Her daughter sits in the back, singing along and curiously looking out the window, while twirling a blonde curl between her fingers. She asks, "Mom, is driving relaxing?"
The mom responds, "Driving through these hills always relaxes me. Nostalgia wells up deep within me and it is like my very soul knows what is waiting around the next bend." She had come here when her son's adoption was pending. She had come here when she was seeking rest and peace. She had come here, once again, when things seemed out of control. And found a piece of her childhood preserved and untouched by the changes all around it.
They walk through the hills, gathering pinecones and sticks. The kids scramble up onto the large rocks and logs; slowing down to look at the bugs and the birds. They are first in line for the hot springs. The mom and daughter (and son) peek through the wooden fence. They see the blue, glistening water of the cold pool and the greenish, bubbling water of the hot mineral pool. The smell of sunscreen, the ripe banana tucked into her bag and the myriad of life in the great outdoors all mix together to create a new memory of summer. The old memories meld together with the new ones she is making with a new generation. And, for a moment once again, all is right in her little world as the smells carry with them the same peace flooding her heart and mind.