Sweet Smells Remembered

We received a Whirley Pop this holiday season from my aunt, uncle and cousins. Tonight, we made popcorn on the stove top, something I haven’t down in years.

The sweet, buttery smell of popcorn brings me back to my childhood. Popcorn was a treat, kept for sacred occasions such as movie nights and sleepovers. My favorite was Jiffy Pop. Standing on a kitchen chair, Jill and I each took turns shaking the thin aluminum packaging, anxiously waiting for the sounds of the popping corn. With a knife, Dad would cut through the dome of aluminum foil and then poured the golden puffs into the green Tupperware bowl that was coined “the popcorn bowl.”

On special nights, we would get to pour M &M’s onto the steaming popcorn. The candy coated shell kept the candy intact while the center melted into chocolaty goodness. Today, I sometimes treat myself to this chocolaty and buttery treat whenever I’ve had a bad day and want to escape to a place (and time) where life was simple and answers were easy.