Saturday, February 6, 2010

Enjoy - Endulge - Feel

I really had no intention of writing this morning... I was just going to  skim through everyones recent post and sit back and enjoy my Saturday... Then I came across Lyon's Post over at the Wandering Hearth....  A wonderful account of the beauty of the enjoyment of ones senses.  Something I think all too often we let slip by us.  The smell of a fresh morning... as you first step out to greet it.  The sun slowly rising over the horizon and the feeling arcoss your face of warmth as it continues to rise... the sound of the morning birds as they slowly awaken and begin their day.  Calling out to one another in song.  And that is just the first moments of morning... Imagine what a full 24 hour day could hold..... We have not even spoken about the the sense of taste or sight... It is an endless list of things that make us feel good, that make us smile.  Those things , that can transform us even when we are lost in the darkest of corners. 

It doesn't have to be just the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.  It can be felt inward also.. as there is nothing more precious then holding a sleeping baby in your arms.  Many of you I am sure have walked in the openess of nature and partaken of her beauty and all the wonderful sensory overloads she can give.  There is nothing like sitting in a "silent" wood and listening to all the sounds that surround you.... The birds and their many songs, the leaves as they rustle against the breeze as it softly blows, the sound of water as it runs over the many stones in the nearby stream.  The smell of the dew on the leaves that have fallen and cover the ground... the smell of the many wildflowers that periodically drift through on the wind as it blows, bringing with it a slight taste of each bloom.  And of course there is the pleasure of the visual side of all such things. 

And of course let us not forget the wonderful sense of taste.  There are millions if not billions of different taste that arouse, comfort, and tease all of us...  From the taste of that first cup of coffee in the morning to the indulgence of chocolate.  For some it is the light fresh taste of sashimi others prefer the lush taste of  a rare grilled steak.  Yet in all cases whatever we choose when we partake of it, we are transformed by the sensations that we receive. 

So my question to ponder is... What is your favorite sensual experience  or lets just say one of your favorite ones... As I know that it may be difficult to cut it down to just one.  From the sensations of touch and feel to the indulgences of taste let your mind wander.  Or maybe you are more moved by the vibration of sound and the feeling that it can bring to you.  And of course there is always the wonderful sense of sight which can allow us to experience so many things whether it be from actually standing on a mountains edge or sitting comfortably back at a movie  lost in a fantasy world created before you.   

16 comments:

Laura said...

i love the way the air smells just before a snow fall and the feel of the first real autumn cool, the smell of roses and freshly cut grass.

thanks for making me think of these lovely things
blessings
~*~

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

What a lovely thought challenge. It is almost automatic for me to draw on my feeling about light. I often times cannot remember who, what, where, when or why but I remember the light of the situation. How the light is different in the spring than in the fall. Different in color, mood, etc. How light makes me feel when I am in it like the sunshine versus the firelight.
When Shel was a baby, the memories are all wrapped up with how the light was shining on her or around her and how it made me feel. I can tell you the configuration of the light the moment GK drew breath at birth. I know what the sunlight looked like when SM and I walked out of the courthouse after we married. Memory, feeling and light for me are the strongest.

TMCPhoto said...

I have so many and I have to remind myself each day to pay attention to them.

I'm going to go all Mommy and cliche but most of my favourite senses over the last three+ years involve my Peanut Butter Pie. Last night she brought tears of complete joy and bliss to my eyes.

Emme Toaye said...

Mine has to be sight! Probably because my sight is so poor that I just relish being able to see the mountains, sunsets and stars and not have to see them through a photograph. Without visual aids of some sort these would only exist through someone else's "lenses" so everytime I see something beautiful and faraway it is a very sensual and awe inspiring experience for me.

Marie S said...

WOW, what an awesome reminder to wake up and "smell the roses"
Smell- after the first rain smell.
touch- my grand daughter's skin or her hand on my face.
Taste- a great pizza.
see- the fog creeping over the hills.
Thank you, I am so grateful for this. It was so perfect for me today.
Have a wonderful weekend

Judith said...

On a good day, when the wind is coming from the ocean... I walk out side just to breath! I love the salty smell, even in the winter when the salt burns my nose!

Mother Moon said...

what wonderful references... I love the detail, yet that is how memories such as these seem to be... very detailed. the wonderful thing about them also is that when you recall them it is just like reliving the moment and depending on the sense which was predominent it is the same in the memory... Linda yours is an excellent example of this.... Love it....

mxtodis123 said...

Wow, I have so many. I love the smell of the rain, the scent of lilacs on a tree, clothes that were washed and hung on the line on a cold day. cookies baking in the oven, a pizza parlor, the fresh smell of a baby to name a few. I love to touch a blanket freshly washed with lots of fabric softener, the softness of my cat's fur.
Mary

Lucy said...

I love those wonderful hazy, summer mornings when you go outside and the air is like milk and it caresses your skin like a lover! I adore the smells that catch at your nose and actually wake you up. Yes, even if they are unpleasant, you just know you're alive! The taste of chocolate on my tongue.... oooooh! Bye! I have to go get some!

Moonwolf said...

A recent blessed memory: A crisp, clear mid-winter night shrouded by the gleam of a full moon. Sitting silently waiting to hear the rustling of the small furry residents in the garden as they return to their nocturnal activities after they come to the realization that my presence is not a danger. Breathing the cold winter air deep into my lungs, tasting the coming snow.

Mother Moon said...

wonderful memory Moonwolf...

Bogaman said...

The sensation of flying tops my list. Whether in a plane, a hang glider etc. I haven't done the parachute thing yet, but the feeling of free falling I think would be the ultimate flying sensation. X.

Lyon said...

Oooh what a pleasure, stumbling over here in the morning and reading about yours and everyone else's favorite sensory experiences. That's a good way to wake up, thank you for that gift Mama! =)

brandi said...

~driving on a quite country road...in our truck on a warm spring~summer day and only for a brief moment the sweetest softest scent glides through the window and fills the air and in the very next moment it is gone...for me i await those days...my family laughs at me beacuase i get all to excited when it happens and i seem to be the only one that can smell it...sends me me to the moon and back...love your little one bare skinned in overalls...i miss those days...thank you for inticing our sense...a fun way to journey throughout the day...brightest blessings~

Yvette Lombardi said...

I love the roar of a cracking fire, and the sounds of drummers playing under a crisp fall night sky.

Bridgett said...

Oh my. So many, so many!

There is this place on my neck...and when Doug kisses it, chills travel from my nose to my toes. :)

The sound of a crackling fire.

The smell of a newborn baby.

The taste of the shrimp pasta at The Cheesecake Factory.

Ahhh...I could go on and on and on.

Oddly enough though, when I think of our sensory systems, I think about Parker and other autistic kids who actually hurt when they're touched...or have to cover their ears if the TV seems too loud...or can't eat so many foods because the textures make them want to throw up.

I hate it for him, Janie. I. HATE. IT.