Observing the Senses
I wasn't sure about how I wanted to finish the blog posts for this course, so I decided to spend some time with my senses and just share some observations. It is a sunny evening and so I figured it would be perfect to sit outside and reflect on what I have learned over the course of this semester.
Smell:
The smell of nature is difficult to describe, but there is definitely a smell. I don't know if I can put the smells of nature into words, but I feel like there is a slight smell in the air after a snow or rain storm or in the morning when there is still dew on the grass. Ackerman states that "nothing is more memorable than a smell" and I couldn't agree more (Ackerman, 5). When I thought about the smell of nature it made me immediately think about mornings walking to the bus stop as a kid after it had snowed and there was always a fresh smell in the air.
Taste:
I don't know if there is a specific taste that I notice right now as I sit on the porch, but perhaps that is because all I can taste is the coffee that I am drinking. Even though I do not notice anything specifically about taste right now, I think taste can play a really important role in our natural environments, like the flavors from a vegetable garden.
Touch:
If it were a little warmer outside I would probably be sitting on the ground and I would feel the grass and rocks below me, but as the sun is setting I have opted for just sitting on the porch and I feel the touch of the wooden planks. I also feel the wind, while this may not be an object that I am touching, I think it fits best in the touch category as it is moving my hair and my clothing and such things definitely impact touch receptors.
See:
There are so many things to be looking at right now. I could write out an entire list of every thing I see and still miss a thousand things, but I'll describe what sticks out to me the most. I see the fence that surrounds our front lawn that allows my dogs to play freely in the yard. I see the end of my drive way and the few cars that pass by on occasion. I see the large rocks making up the stone wall that lines our property. I see the shadow of the house stretch across the lawn further and further as the sun sets. I see the grass that is starting to return to its deep green color after a long winter.
Hear:
I think the sounds of nature are one of my favorite things about being outside. I sometimes forget
how amazing it is to sit and just listen as I usually opt for listening to music. This evening I hear the lively chattering of a range of birds on our bird feeders. I hear the muffled echo of people taking while on an evening walk. I hear the sound of vehicles passing by. I hear the slight ring of our neighbor's wind chime. I hear the sound of the breeze moving through the trees.
Overall, I think this was an interesting activity to try. I think through this semester I have been able to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the different senses. Before this I have never tried to be aware of different senses and also never thought of anything outside of the biological definition of the senses. I found Abram's discussion on humans disconnect from the natural world very interesting. His descriptions of "shutting ourselves off from other voices" is an interesting way to look at the disconnect our society has from the ecological environment surrounding us (Abram, 22). I think it can be very beneficial to people for stress relief or for disconnecting from technology especially in times like today to just sit and enjoy nature. I think there is a calming effect of just listening to the breeze or birds that we forget about sometimes.
Smell:
The smell of nature is difficult to describe, but there is definitely a smell. I don't know if I can put the smells of nature into words, but I feel like there is a slight smell in the air after a snow or rain storm or in the morning when there is still dew on the grass. Ackerman states that "nothing is more memorable than a smell" and I couldn't agree more (Ackerman, 5). When I thought about the smell of nature it made me immediately think about mornings walking to the bus stop as a kid after it had snowed and there was always a fresh smell in the air.
Taste:
I don't know if there is a specific taste that I notice right now as I sit on the porch, but perhaps that is because all I can taste is the coffee that I am drinking. Even though I do not notice anything specifically about taste right now, I think taste can play a really important role in our natural environments, like the flavors from a vegetable garden.
 |
| Coffee © waferboard |
Touch:
If it were a little warmer outside I would probably be sitting on the ground and I would feel the grass and rocks below me, but as the sun is setting I have opted for just sitting on the porch and I feel the touch of the wooden planks. I also feel the wind, while this may not be an object that I am touching, I think it fits best in the touch category as it is moving my hair and my clothing and such things definitely impact touch receptors.
See:
There are so many things to be looking at right now. I could write out an entire list of every thing I see and still miss a thousand things, but I'll describe what sticks out to me the most. I see the fence that surrounds our front lawn that allows my dogs to play freely in the yard. I see the end of my drive way and the few cars that pass by on occasion. I see the large rocks making up the stone wall that lines our property. I see the shadow of the house stretch across the lawn further and further as the sun sets. I see the grass that is starting to return to its deep green color after a long winter.
 |
| Stone Wall © Liz West |
I think the sounds of nature are one of my favorite things about being outside. I sometimes forget
how amazing it is to sit and just listen as I usually opt for listening to music. This evening I hear the lively chattering of a range of birds on our bird feeders. I hear the muffled echo of people taking while on an evening walk. I hear the sound of vehicles passing by. I hear the slight ring of our neighbor's wind chime. I hear the sound of the breeze moving through the trees.
Overall, I think this was an interesting activity to try. I think through this semester I have been able to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the different senses. Before this I have never tried to be aware of different senses and also never thought of anything outside of the biological definition of the senses. I found Abram's discussion on humans disconnect from the natural world very interesting. His descriptions of "shutting ourselves off from other voices" is an interesting way to look at the disconnect our society has from the ecological environment surrounding us (Abram, 22). I think it can be very beneficial to people for stress relief or for disconnecting from technology especially in times like today to just sit and enjoy nature. I think there is a calming effect of just listening to the breeze or birds that we forget about sometimes.
I think it is really cool how this class has made us more aware of our senses. We often take them for granted or focus on the negative things, like smelling trash or complaining about a view. I think this is a great exercise and it's also a great one to do when you have anxiety!
ReplyDeleteIntentionally sensing things like you did for this post, Emily, is kind of like a secular "Communion", isn't it, with what Abram said to describe who or what is actually communing through "the sensuous."
ReplyDelete