On my run today, I smelled mulberries. It is a pretty distinct smell. It was like a wafting olfactory finger hooked my nose and lifted me off my timeline. I was suddenly back at my childhood home in my old yard. A prominent fixture of that backyard was a large mulberry tree. I climbed it. I ate its fruit and wore the stains of the berries on my feet. It's amazing how memories cling to smells. A smell can instantly provide the necessary context for remembering.
