Thank Your Senses!
Have you thought about what it would be like to live without vision, hearing, touch, smell, or taste buds? I picture a life without senses as a paint with water picture without the water and brush. There would be no way for the colors and details to appear in our picture without our senses that bring the world to life.
What if we built a little more margin into our days so we could intentionally practice using our senses? In music, the places of stopping are called ‘rests’. Taking moments to pause in the middle of our days help us notice things that we are usually too busy to see.
Here are a few ideas of how to engage with your senses.
Stand next to a tree and notice its leaves, its bark, and the shape of its branches. What can the tree teach you? What has it been through? How old do you think it is?
Lay on your back and look up at the sky. What do you notice about the clouds? Can you feel the wind on your face? What do you hear around you?
Deliberately take another route on your daily drive or walk. Notice things you have not seen before. Take a little more time getting to where you are going (or end up in a new place that you didn’t intend to go). How did taking a new path make you feel?
Deliberately change one of your routines. Order something different at the coffee shop, add a new ingredient to your sandwich, use cloth napkins instead of paper ones, light a candle, listen to a new type of music.
None of this comes naturally to me. I really like familiar and rarely step out and deliberately find new ways of doing, thinking, or feeling. It is a discipline for me to make time and space to activate my senses. It is a discipline to care for myself and enjoy all the things around me that are waiting to be enjoyed.
Think about the word enJOY.
There are a lot of things that I have realized bring me joy. Fireplaces, the ocean, warm socks, a pretty place setting, conversation with friends, and walks in the woods to name a few. I know my list will grow and change as I get older and as I experience new things.
Make a list of things you enJOY and hang it up somewhere where you can see it. Decide which of your 5 senses are used in experiencing your favorite things. Then, make time for one thing on your list each day.
