Justin’s top 10 smells of all time

The sense of smell is the most overlooked sense that there is. We as a people love to surround ourselves with smells we enjoy, that make the good times greater and even more memorable. Everyone has those strange whiffs we sometimes find in a breeze that take us back to a time when we were happy, and everything seemed simple. Smells, like taste, are completely subjective, but here, I have compiled a concrete list of the top 10 smells in human history that is irrefutable in it’s exactness. So let’s find out what they are together.

10. Pizza Hut buffet- The Pizza Hut buffet will forever be remembered by those with the privilege of experiencing it. The joy of opening the door and letting the scent of freshly cooked pizza and bread sticks wash over you at 12:30 on a Saturday is simply unforgettable. The memories of little league baseball or soccer attached to the post-game Pizza Hut buffet makes for a lifelong impact that the smell can have.

9. Black Sharpie marker- Part of the fun behind the smell of a black sharpie marker is the rebellion involved with smelling it. It was outlawed and a crime of the highest offense in elementary school to purposefully smell a marker. Something about how it could damage your brain in the future, blah blah blah, but when you first uncap the marker and get hit with a little bit of magic, it would change your perspective on whether your health was really worth it after all.

8. Autumn leaves- Foliage coats the ground, the air becomes lighter and the weather mellows out to the perfect temperature. The smell of autumn leaves is definitely one that reminds me of home and good times. Raking the leaves, jumping in them and smelling that dusty, earthy yet somehow refreshing smell of a dead leaf. Not much is beating the feeling that the leaf smell brings along with it.

7. Post-rainfall- It is a universal human experience to have smelled the air directly after a summer shower or hard rain. There’s a certain feeling to it that is very hard to explain, but everyone understands it. I’m sure there’s some science behind why it feels so nice, but that’s beside the point.

6. The Terre Haute Mall- Also known as Haute City Center (formerly known as Honey Creek Mall), the Terre Haute mall is a cacophony of beautiful smells wrapped into one 680,890 square foot package. Walking through the front doors, you can’t pick out one discernible smell, but instead, all of the smells at once. As you continue walking, you hit the food court, Auntie Ann’s and, back in the day, Yankee Candle. All these mixed with the smell of new clothes, unworn by any living being, creates an outstanding atmosphere in which I would be willing to give up hundreds of dollars to mega corporations.

5. Thanksgiving pie- More specifically, the cooking of aforementioned Thanksgiving pie. When that pie hits the oven, I don’t even care what filling it is as long as its filling my house and lungs with the sweet aroma of pie. On top of the smell, it also gets you in the mood to conquer a Thanksgiving feast, and reminds you that good times are coming.

4. Christmas tree- The emotions and memories surrounding the smell of a live Christmas tree is what earns it this placement on the list. Many people who have smelt a live Christmas tree or any pine tree will understand that it will transport you through time and space back to a fond memory of a Christmas morning with everyone that you love in attendance. Back to a simpler time, where patience didn’t exist and joy filled the air.

3. Vanilla- What is more classic than vanilla? Found at the heart of perfumes, recipes and air fresheners, this juggernaut of a scent is held in high regard. I often catch a hint of vanilla when I’m out, reminding me of my youth and blessing my olfactory senses with a brief moment of pleasure amidst the often boring and mundane scents of everyday life.

2. Bacon in the morning- I will be out of bed and in a kitchen chair with a fork and knife in hand the very moment I smell bacon before 10 a.m.. I will quite literally float like a cartoon character towards wherever the glorious smell is coming from. This timeless classic will forever live in the hearts and noses of plenty of Americans, and understandably so.

Honorable Mentions: Campfire, old baseball gloves, crock-pot Mississippi roast, beach, Subway and fresh air.

1. Baking cookies- No wonder. Easily the most beloved smell. It doesn’t even matter what kind of cookie, that’s the beauty behind it. There’s thousands of memories associated with freshly baking cookies, and none of them have ever been bad. The smell itself refuses to create a bad memory. Personally speaking, I have never been sad in the presence of cookies in the oven. I’ve never even been mad. I have only ever been content, excited and ready to take on the future. The joy in life must be taken in the little things, for there aren’t enough big things to tide anyone over. When the big things come, allow yourself to feel happy, but when sorrow seems to step into the limelight, bake some cookies.