The Scent of Someone You Miss

Smell carries a powerful force.
The scent of someone you long for doesn’t linger in memory simply because it is sweet or pleasant. It’s the faint trace of sweat after meeting at the end of a long day, the warm skin fragrance from the curve of the neck, the familiar scent of the pillow you rest your head on.
We become addicted to those smells. They rise again at the tip of the nose, making us swing between joy and sorrow. Even when colors fade and voices disappear, scent remains as the last memory that refuses to leave.
There are times when I miss the smell of my mother. Though she now rests in heaven, her skin, her milk, her sweat return to me like echoes of the past. And I wonder—what scent will linger from me? What fragrance will people remember when they think of me? Will it be a scent they long for? These thoughts make me pause and reflect on my life today.