Move Me Tuesday – scent
I gave myself a writing assignment yesterday. Here is what I came up with – and remember, this is raw: no edits, no smithing, essentially “warts and all” writing.
Pick a favorite scent and write about it:
My favorite scent is coconut-tanning oil, like Hawaiian Tropic or Banana Boat. Something about that smell conjures memories at the lake with my family when I was a child. My brother, who tanned like a native, always made me so jealous as I would have to suffer slathering of sunscreen (granted back then, we didn’t use the 50 block I punish my children with) or the sun would sting me pink before I’d eventually turn brown at the end of the season – just in time for school to start.
But the smell and feel of tanning oil on my hands, mixed with sand and lake water, makes me smile. Endless days on the water’s edge building sand castles only to have the waves wash them away in chunks. Throwing sticks for the dog until she would fetch the thing for the last time, take it into the woods, and hide just so she could have a rest. Skiing and tubing until our arms ached from the effort, but that old yellow boat with a Chrysler 75 outboard would never run out of gas.
That coconut smell reminds me of how good a hamburger on the grill tastes when eaten with a side of potato chips right from the bag and washed down with “Poppe Shoppe” sarsaparilla soda pop.
What scent did you pick?
move me, scent, free writing, coconut, memories, lake
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