Friday, January 18, 2008

My Heartstrings


There is this memory I have from childhood.
I am sitting with my mother on a Saturday morning, and the show "Today's Special" (yes, the one with the mannequin and the mouse) is on the television. I am snuggled up next to her, and she has her arm around me. The couch is blue with tiny flowers and pleats and buttons EVERYWHERE, and my mother smells like fabric softener.

When I was in my first acting class of University, doing one of the first real acting exercises, this memory came back to me. The task was to bring up a memory ties to a sense. As soon as the picture popped into my mind, my nostrils filled with the smell of generic Downy. When the circle got to me, I burst into tears recalling this memory. Now, not only is that sweet smell of fabric softener on a Saturday morning tied to a cherished memory of my mother; it is also the catalyst of my acting career.

On Saturday mornings, Violet sits on the couch with her chocolate milk and rumpled hair, smelling of fabric softener and sleepy toddler. She is so sweet in those early morning cartoon hours.

This is my heart.
Yes, that is a pear-scented candle in her lap. She likes to sniff them when they are cold. A girl after my own heart.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, TODAY'S SPECIAL! I have been TRYING to figure out the name of that show for ages now. THANK YOU.

(I loved it too, as a kid.)

Lisa (the girls' moma) said...

What a sweet post. You have a great way of linking those memories to Violet and it pulls MY heartstrings, too!

Hope you are doing well.

Ash said...

Are you preg yet or what? POST SOMETHING WOMAN!