"Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be" - Carrie Bradshaw
Memory is often like wisps of smoke on a cold summer night; you can almost still feel the warmth of what used to be but the harder you grasp, the more it fades. Recollection will never compare to that moment nor will it ever be accurate. But I don't believe memory is ever meant to be stagnant and like a curious child, it will never remain where you left it. But isn't that the beauty of it? If you spent all your life reliving the past, how will you ever collect new memories?
I am equal parts indifferent, sentimental and forgetful; so for me, memory plays a rather contrary role in my life. I'm most likely the girl who will return the gift because "it wasn't every me" but keep the wrapping paper and card, until I lose everything in the end anyway.
I believe that everyone has a different trigger that will incite renditions of the past; somethings its a song, somethings its a piece of jewellery or something its a certain scent in the air. Olfactory markers have always played a prominent part in my life. Dolce & Gabanna's The One Rose will always remind me of that summer I spent with my friends in Shanghai, China on a short exchange trip. Oscar de la Renta's Volupte will always make my heart skip a few beats when I recollect that one time when I was young and sprayed most of my mum's bottle. Certain scents will always find a way to latch with certain associations; the smell of sea salt in the air and Banana Boat sunscreen will mark the height of summer, the fragrance of La Prairie skincare will always be quintessentially my mother and the perfumed air from Palm Beach candle's Vintage Gardenia will always remind me of a mini road trip my boyfriend and I took to Hunter Valley.
Which is why it seems so right, that the commemoration of my admission onto the NSW Solicitor's Roll would be Le Labo's Jasmine 17. I wanted something that won't be carelessly forgotten over time and what's better than letting it have its own scent? A perfume bottle with its own customisable label that can be kept long after the perfume is gone.
Perhaps in year's time I won't remember the date of the ceremony. In 5 years time, I won't remember my peers that I was admitted with. And in 50 years time, I will barely remember the ceremony at all. But I hope that this scent will always remind me of the simultaneous feelings to elation and relief to know that the first chapter is finally over.
Maybe it's just my sentimental side, but isn't that all that's needed?
x karen
