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- Chris Fabry
- Married to Andrea since 1982. We have 9 children together and none apart. Our dog's name is Tebow.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
The mind is an amazing thing. It can recall stuff from years ago with just a slightest hint of an aroma.
I had a list of things, tissues, a recycle bin, a movie for my son, stevia packets and various things that totaled $63 by the time I was done. What I didn’t expect was to encounter my father in the dairy aisle.
One of the items on the list was plain yogurt. I checked the stale date and made sure we had time to consume it. Then I headed for the electronics section, passing the end of the candy aisle where there were various gums, mints and treats.
And there it hit me—the mint smell I remembered from childhood.
![By LabyrinthX (Peppermints) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vvUgZcaXbzlEXr27CMlC3Slag775hLkTYJN4LwN9Z338sjNW3xzgoNZusSJ5ilB18qFK-ak3bOoHqepbuUbfzHaUn-6QFGYbJBr1vAqWHUzOwfYdixy38T85LTB1ht75j-tqFto45Wlg6x9SQh16qs_l0=s0-d "By LabyrinthX (Peppermints) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
I drew closer. The whiff of peppermint was unmistakable. And a vision flashed through the synapses. My father in the chair in the corner of the living room. Sitting with his legs crossed. Coat and tie on. He always wore a coat and tie to church. And he always popped one of those peppermint things in his mouth, the round kind with the red swirls in them.
And he smiled and held one out.
As a kid, I really didn’t like the peppermint candy. It was not as exotic as other flavors. To my father, it was all he needed. Fresh breath. A sweet taste.
That was 50 years ago, probably. I remember the smell of peppermint and Sundays. Green Wrigley gum, too, when he didn’t have the mints. And the sound of the wrappers as he opened them.
Sundays are peppermint in my mind. And now you know why.
I had a list of things, tissues, a recycle bin, a movie for my son, stevia packets and various things that totaled $63 by the time I was done. What I didn’t expect was to encounter my father in the dairy aisle.
One of the items on the list was plain yogurt. I checked the stale date and made sure we had time to consume it. Then I headed for the electronics section, passing the end of the candy aisle where there were various gums, mints and treats.
And there it hit me—the mint smell I remembered from childhood.
![By LabyrinthX (Peppermints) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Peppermints_(7777976014).jpg "By LabyrinthX (Peppermints) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
And he smiled and held one out.
As a kid, I really didn’t like the peppermint candy. It was not as exotic as other flavors. To my father, it was all he needed. Fresh breath. A sweet taste.
That was 50 years ago, probably. I remember the smell of peppermint and Sundays. Green Wrigley gum, too, when he didn’t have the mints. And the sound of the wrappers as he opened them.
Sundays are peppermint in my mind. And now you know why.
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4 comments:
I could say the same thing, Chris. We had an Uncle Willie (he was actually our great uncle) who carried peppermints in his pocket and would give them to the kids in church on Sundays. They were round, pink, thick chalky peppermints and had Xs on them. Yes, Sundays are Peppermint, for sure.
My grandpa was the life saver grandpa to the whole church. He always bought the pep-o-mint ones, not my personal favorite. When any of the kids at church came up and asked him "Mr. Farthing, do you have any mints?" He would go through a whole ritual checking every pocket in his suit and pants and they would always be in the last pocket. Love all my memories of him, and can still hear him leading the songs "Nothing but the blood" and "He lives".
Oh Chris - what a sweet blog! My smell is Aqua Velva and Listerine, together! My dad would come out of the bathroom early every morning smelling of Aqua Velva and Listerine. When I smell either, it almost brings a tear to my eye. I miss my dad allot ... really miss those smells!
Oh Chris - I loved your blog! My smells are Aqua Velva and Listerine! Early mornings, my dad would come out of the bathroom smelling like Aqua Velva and Listerine ... those smells can bring a tear to my eye even today. Miss my dad and those smells.