Smells and Bells

 One thing I have come to love is something deemed by the internet and authors alike as the "art of noticing." This really amounts to, for me at least, sitting somewhere and taking the time to observe minute details that make up the world around us. Whether that comes from the pattern on the floor tiles, the differences in individual blades of grass, the different shapes and shades of the clouds, how the classroom lights reflect off of the windows, noticing is something you can do anywhere at any time, and something I adore when I'm feeling disconnected or need some grounding. In such a digital world where your attention is the most sought after currency, doing something meditative such as this is the perfect way to reclaim your attention and energy, and for me it's something of a small act of rebellion against the constant vying for my attention by Big Screen™.  As someone who is interested in these small details, and also someone who finds almost anything and anythi...

Our society in the United States is missing sounds and music. Only troubadours are heard in cities, birds are mostly heard in the countryside, but there is no sound that reaches us all to affect most of the population. The US, although very noisy, is missing natural noises, including music and prayers. Sound can be such an emotional and community building experience, especially music that reaches the soul. This could be a religious experience or not, but I wish there was more noise that wasn't produced from cars honking or screeching tires. Although it depends on the state, city, town, and specific locality, I believe there is a lack of natural sounds. Even though music and prayers are not naturally occurring, they are created by humans to evoke a sense or emotion, which feels as natural as birds singing or bugs humming. When my dad and brother visited Istanbul in 2023, they came back with many stories about the ancient city with modern districts. One fact that let a mark on me was...

 Sight is one of the most important sense for me, im a nail tech so i need have attention to detail, the colors  and designs flow and compliment eachother. If someone shows me a random picture they want me to put on there nails i need to be able to look for certain details that can go on the nails. I love looking around seeing the art others have created where i could get my own inspiration. Botanical gardens are my favorite with mixture of different flowers and art pieces mixed together feels like a religious experince a mix of the universe and the us humans working together to make somthing beautiful. I like to stop when I notice im walking fast somewhere looking at my phone and i make my self stop and look up and see what it around me, who’s around me and i take a deep breath and walk slower. I think if more people looked around where we lived we would care what we are doing to the earth. 

The one thing I miss about going to church is the worship music. The melody and the lyrics with the congregation, I can hear the reverence in their voices. I could feel us all connect the only thing we our focused on is singing and not worrying about anything else. It’s not the same when you listen to it on your own, the community of everyone coming together was my favorite. It so beautiful how so many religions uses music to come together and it builds bridges. It makes me thing of when silent night was first sung december 24th, 1818 and was sung in 1914  it was a peace song on christmas eve, germans stated to sing and the british recognized the melody and there was a community even though there beliefs were fundimentally different they came together because of music. I also think of Elf the movie, santa needed belief power and they started to sing and santa got enough power to fly and deliver the rest of the presents. Every night i listen to classical music to fall asleep, music ...

 Food and having a meal with people has always been imparting its away of coming together and to sit and talk. Woman in the kitchen has been a scared space where they could talk without men and for a while men were scared of what the woman would do to there food. But it was woman’s work and it was an accepted fear. Which is how i feel eating in chase dining hall. Taste of my food has always been important too me, trying to figure what flavor i want and the texture and if its off I don't want to eat it. My favorite tastes recently have been butter chicken and pad thai. 

    When I was reading Ackerman's retelling of the process of deifying Hindu idols, and the devotion that worshippers have to them, giving the divine specific foods as if they can eat, seeing the divine in things outsiders would see as humble, I was reminded of a part of my life that I don't think I have talked enough about (here). Cats, and my experience volunteering with them.  Like Hindu deities, they cannot survive without humans giving them care, love, and affection. Like Hindu deities, they have large eyes to draw people in. Yet, there is currently a pet homelessness crisis with rising costs of both housing and animal care, and a lack of regard for pets with special or high support needs, as many want the "perfect" pet with no adverse conditions that could be hard to manage. Yet, in my experience volunteering at Our Companions, an animal rescue for animals with high support needs, many can be the most wonderful pets if only given a chance. I can't describe t...