Musings of a Whimsical Realist

I’ll admit, this subject had me stumped for a while!  Perhaps it’s the sheer scope of the topic.  Happiness or joy.  I could instantly think of 1,000 spins on this, and at the same time, nothing inspired me . . . until today.  I went outside, breathing deeply of one of my favorite scents – rain – and felt a deep upwelling of joy!  The joy of smelling something and having a million memories run through your head at once, the happy and the sad, intertwined and a part of what makes you who you are. The olfactory sense (the sense of smell) is the sense with one of the strongest and most intense links to memory.  There have been many studies on this phenomenon, especially as regards childhood memories linked to scent.  One interesting fact is that the sense of smell is processed in a different part of the brain than the rest of the senses, one very closely situated to the center for emotion in the brain.  Olfaction and Memory Smell and Memory I love so many wonderful scents.  Here

Just remember: I warned you!  Disneyland is my favorite place, and when I read topic #3, “Street Scene,” I tried and tried to think of something different.  But all I could picture is Main Street, USA, the lane that conducts you from the entrance gates into new worlds.  So after several days of trying to find other inspiration, I gave in. “The idea of Main Street was inspired by Walt’s childhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri" (Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Places: Disneyland).  It is said that Main Street, USA, is meant to feel like everyone’s hometown.  It is beautiful and comfortable all at the same time, and I start every trip to Disneyland skipping down it like a 10-year-old.  If I could ever choose one place to spend the night, I think that it would have to be the 600-square-foot apartment over the Main Street Fire Station.  Walt would actually stay there on occasion when he was visiting the park.  What a thrill to be in the spot where his imagination dreamed of