A Lost Sense

I was going to post a list of quotes that I recently found and that I feel explains certain aspects of life much better than I can. However, I have written articles (not entirely the right word) over a year ago that needs to be dusted and displayed. I'm not claiming to be a writer, nor a good writer, but it's serves as entertainment for me, at least. Here goes.

A Lost Sense

“An oil massage, a hot bath, a good night’s sleep, soft smells and music and clothes with soft textures denote sensuality to me.” - Padma Lakshmi-

Sensuality for every one has a different meaning. For me sensuality can be found in the simple things in life. We often refer to the best part of a day in a singular way. My day consist of many “best parts”. Nothing in the world can come close to the welcoming smell of my house. And some may think it strange, but my day looks extremely cheerful after that first cuddle with my husband and I have submerged myself in his natural fragrance. It’s so easy to get lost in this world without our senses. I often find myself lost and saddened by this wicked world. Even though I bluntly refer to our world as wicked, I thoroughly believe that the way we perceive the world is up to us. I therefore may sound like a hypocrite calling our world wicked, but while I acknowledge reality, which in many cases is brutal and wicked; I also like to acknowledge the beauty that surrounds us everyday.

The reality is that beauty can be found everywhere and anywhere. When last did you look outside your window when it’s raining? Many people detest the rain. For me, it’s a wonderful and incredible experience. While we are trying to take cover under the smallest umbrella or running to ensure we don’t get drenched, we should try and walk as slowly as possible and breathe in deeply to catch the smell of rain (have you seen the beautiful disturbances in your pool as the rain comes down?). Anyway, the faster you walk, the wetter you’ll get. So while you are trying to stay as dry as possible, take a moment and inhale the fragrance of life-giving rain.

The olfactory sense in the sense that is least used. Olfactory denotes smell, our most acute sense. The wonder of the olfactory sense is that it connects us with our long-term memories. The smell of home-baked rusks may take you back to your grandma’s kitchen and the smell of a certain perfume will remind you of a good friend.

It’s interesting to know that our olfactory sense can assist us with learning new skills. Peppermint has shown to be very effective during a learning session. Some even say you should use mints while learning a new program and use chocolates when studying new regulations (www.selfgrowth.com).

Make the most of your senses by adding various spices and herbs to different meals. Not only will it add flavour to your meals, but using the same flavouring time and again will lead to olfactory adaptation or fatigue. This occurs when there is a constant stimulation to the sensory systems. The senses eventually become “deaf” to the certain smells.

We even use our senses when we talk and describe things. You must have heard of “the sweet smell of success” or “I smell a rat”? In essence our subconscious mind is informing us, through our senses, that something is good or that something is wrong. Maybe it’s time we take a break, hone our senses and make use of this wonderful survival kit we were handed.

Much research has been done to determine the physiological reaction to certain “non-fragrant” odours of other people. You may have experienced it by walking into a room and instantaneously taken a dislike in someone, without interacting with that person. It’s the same when you instantaneously taken a like in a person. That’s what we call pheromones. You’ve never heard of pheromones?

Every human have pheromones specific to them and they are our sexual scent of attraction. This topic has been debated for many years and there are still more questions than answers. It’s been said that it is the reason many people fall head-over-heels love with someone they hardly know. If you are still looking for the love of your life, maybe it’s time you take a long good sniff.

Maybe you should make it your task for one day to see how many different smells you come across in one day. Take a good sniff at the clothes you are currently wearing or the clothes you had on the previous day. You might be surprised with the pleasant smell of some of the combinations.

When you walk past a restaurant, canteen or kitchen, try to name all the different food smells. And then there are the plants and trees in your garden that needs some attention. And next time it rains, don’t rush indoors to save your hairdo and makeup; taking a good breath of fresh, rain air is worth the ruined hairdo and makeup.