It’s been windy and chilly here all week but tomorrow it says 80 degrees! I had to take a double take! I will be sure to enjoy a warmer day and enjoy seeing all the beautiful spring flowers and the birds singing. Hopefully I will get out for a little walk. My son returns from sunny Florida (a trip with his on again GF) tonight and I can’t wait to HEAR all about it. May everyone enjoy a peaceful Easter week-end however you may celebrate it.
How do my senses awaken gratefulness within me?
How can they not?
If we had no senses
we could neither see, nor feel, nor hear, nor taste, nor smell . . .
anything.
We could not navigate the world,
or communicate,
or function at all . . .
our senses
are essential for us to live life as we know it.
I am not a scientist,
but believe
that even an amoeba has some sensory ability.
Our senses
color our world . . .
they give us the unimaginable ability
to experience life in a way we couldn’t otherwise fathom.
A flower is a miracle unto itself,
but to be able to see a flower
connects us to something outside of ourselves,
including each other.
Music,
whether it be the howling of a wolf,
a bird singing her heart out,
or a symphony that makes us weep,
a child,
crying in the night,
is a gift,
but meaningless
unless we can hear it.
Our senses provide texture and depth . . .
we taste the juices running down our chins
when we indulge in a ripe peach,
a strawberry,
a ripe tomatoe,
butter pecan ice cream.
This brings us Joy . . .
a kind of Joy we could not experience otherwise.
Our sense of smell
evokes memories
of when the first time we experienced it . . .
cut grass in the summer . . .
running through puddles after the rain;
blood . . .
when our hand went through a window:
sun-warmed manure . . .
the first time we visited a farm.
And then there is touch,
perhaps one of the most beautiful senses we have . . .
a hand on our shoulder,
meant to comfort:
feeling the soft fur of a beloved animal,
or the exquisite experience of stroking a sturgeon in the water,
the prickly feet of a bird,
perched on our finger.
We have a spiritual sense as well . . .
a sense of the Divine,
our Source . . .
God, Buddha, Allah,
Yahweh,
Vishnu and many others.
I believe
that this sense is what helps all of the other senses
see what is spiritual,
underneath or behind the physical,
and it helps us to see the connection among all of us . . .
whether we be tree or cloud or spinach,
or a stone.
Without a spiritual sense,
all of this would be meaningless.
So beautiful, Sparrow!
Thank you for the reminder of the ways we perceive the world-
the image of a flower
the sound of a howling of a wolf,
the taste of a ripe and juicy peach, and butter pecan ice cream,
the scent of freshly mowed grass in the summer,
the feel of a hand on my shoulder meant to comfort,
and the spiritual sense that gives meaning to our world.
Dear Sparrow, your sharing is truly a gift! 🎁♥️
I’m having a little trouble with feeling grateful right now. I’m just feeling a little off.
I will make the effort to be in the moment and take in life through my senses and get out of my head.
That should help. I may report back this evening. Thanks to everyone here for being here. I am grateful for you.
I just needed to rest today. I felt sad today about a few family issues.
Today I had an opportunity to be kind to myself and to be accepting of myself.
Again, I am grateful for this group. Thank you for being here. ☀️
I’m sorry,
dear Mary,
that you are feeling low today . . .
we all thank you
for being a member of this family,
and are grateful for what you share,
whether it be happy or not so . . . ♥
My mindfulness practice has helped me to awaken my senses to beauty and be grateful. Not only to beauty but also the simple human moments of connection.
Also strangely modern neuroscience. Knowing that our brains are designed not for happiness but for survival. We must remember negative things for our survival but the good slips by easily unnoticed. Thats why we have to be so intentional in how we train and place our attention.
Where attention goes energy flows. Being attentive to the beauty, being grateful. Growing the networks in our brains to move us from merely surviving but thriving 🙂
“Where attention goes energy flows.”
That is so true, Simone.
Thank you for this very important reminder.
The neuroscience angle is so interesting too!
Thank you.
all gratefully awe inspiring and by no means a matter of course, the gift of senses working without effort, such vivid possibilities our body presents, gratefully for the body´s ablility to see and to perceive things, to hear the birds sing in spring and to listen deeply to others, the smell or a beautiful scent of an evening primrose, being able to eat and enjoy delicious food or taste fresh and healthy food or drinking precious, life-giving water, to be able to think and to sense so many beautiful things, receiving the world´s utter beauty through all the senses, resulting in a colorful, joyful, sensual enriching and exciting life! Thank you, life!🙏✨🙇♀️❤️🌸
So much of the dogma that I was taught told me to live in the spirit not the flesh. To live in the flesh was to be in sin. Richard Rohr calls this type of teaching the purity codes. How sad it was that small children were brain washed. I never thought of my breath as the breath of life. I never appreciated my sense of smell. I took my eye sight for granted but my ability to hear music and sing my little heart out has always awakened gratefulness within me. The gift of song awakens all of my senses. For this I am most grateful.
I wasn’t raised this way (it was more like “mind over matter” and body is subservient to mind), but I am interested to learn more about the purity codes and that form of thinking. It seems very relevant to today’s times. And your relationship with singing sounds wonderful, Carol.
I was raised
much the same as you,
dear Carol,
and am so grateful I found myself
anyway . . .
I am also grateful
that you made it out too.
I feel for the children
who are still being raised that way today. ♥
Right now I’m relating very well to today’s quote. I can only live right here and right now . I’m back out of the hospital.. thank you for helping me be brave and let go.
I think of the term, The Eternal NOW. There is wisdom in those words. If we ain’t “now here,”” we’re “no where” lost and alone. Glad to know you are home. Hugs, Carol
Yesterday on a walk I rejoiced in seeing the clear blue sky, smelling the perfume of flowers on the air, listening to birds, feeling my body move. And then….
Right now my senses remind me to be grateful when I’m strong and well. On that walk I tripped on a slab of upheaved sidewalk and took a hard fall. Skinned and bruised hands and knees, a wrenched or bruised rib that sent me to the ER to make sure it wasn’t broken, and lots of pain. Everything hurts today and it will hurt more tomorrow. I can still enjoy spring springing around us but I won’t be going for my usual walks or bike rides for a bit.
Oh no Barb, wishing you ease and comfort as you heal. Glad you didn’t break anything. Sidewalk slabs can be vicious. It’s amazing how they seem to come out of nowhere even though they’re totally stationary. As an aside, I think it was you who recommended the book Vegetables Love Flowers. I want to extend my gratitude for the recommendation–what a good book! I love how it’s written and am learning a lot.
Thanks, Drea. And yes, that was me. Glad you’re finding the book helpful. I’ll be rereading portions of that for quite a while. Someone just told me about the “snail” method of starting seeds the other day and said they’ve never had such hearty, hardy seedlings so I’m planning to try that. https://www.ruralsprout.com/snail-seed-starting-method/
Thanks Barb, I may give the snail a try. It’s hard to decide when to buy little plants and when to try to grow them, because we’re in hail season, and spring goes from moderate weather to really hot pretty quickly. I sometimes fantasize about having a greenhouse, ha.
Oh Barb, I’m sorry to hear about this accident. May you heal quickly. In the meantime, take heart knowing this is temporary and your body will heal. May your senses bring you joy from what you see, hear, smell and taste.
Right now it is actively raining heavily in our city. I hear the drops on the roof, I smell the freshness , I feel the cold as it penetrates through window drafts, and I will taste the bounty of the gardens that were nourished by the moisture.
I’m learning about how my body expresses fatigue. I have long been conditioned to override, ignore, and minimize signs of fatigue until they warp into a new, stronger form. I’m learning to become receptive to my body’s (sometimes counterintuitive) signals, so that I can take time to recover. I am grateful that I still have so much to learn, and that I have the opportunity to work with my body to build strength and resilience.
Hi Drea,
I too know about continuing to push onward, well after my body says stop.
I have the habit of doing too much, or sometimes not much at all.
I need to learn balance.🙂
Thank you for sharing your well-earned wisdom,
dear Drea . . .
it takes some of us
many knocks and falls
to come to terms
and accept that we are not super women. ♥
I’m wondering what group of senses should I put my heart in? I love my heart, as it determines that I’m human, I have feelings of love, and I can sense being loved. I’m grateful for them all, happiness contributes to my inner joy and bitterness helps me to value the moments of happiness.
I can hear birds chirping outside, greeting this new day.
I can see my dogs smiling at me when I greet them in the living room… wagging tails, rolling sideways for a belly rub, reaching a paw towards me asking for a hug.
I can taste the richness of my coffee and that hint of spice with my cayenne/cinnamon addition.
I can smell the blooming spring and all of the sweetness she offers.
I can feel the warm sun kissing my skin, offering light, vitamin D, and extended presence.
And I can sense the inner stillness, the place in me where my light resides, the place that offers peace and reminds me of my truth.
I’m so grateful to be able to experience all of these senses that allow me to live such a full life.
My senses awaken gratefulness with the gift of bringing me to a present moment. The warmth of the sun, the sound of the wind, birds, or nightly spring peepers soon, the sight of any type of natural water, the taste of a fresh strawberry, the smell of salt air – when the senses take notice I have to pause and take a breath that ends in a sigh of contentment. No matter the scene, wherever the moment, when the senses create a pause to experience the wonder, gratefulness awakens.
I am grateful to have my senses as not everyone does. I will be focused on my vision,hearing,tasting,smelling, and touch throughout the day and be grateful and thankful.
Happy Friday everyone!
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It’s been windy and chilly here all week but tomorrow it says 80 degrees! I had to take a double take! I will be sure to enjoy a warmer day and enjoy seeing all the beautiful spring flowers and the birds singing. Hopefully I will get out for a little walk. My son returns from sunny Florida (a trip with his on again GF) tonight and I can’t wait to HEAR all about it. May everyone enjoy a peaceful Easter week-end however you may celebrate it.
Sorry,
I’ve thought a lot about this.
How do my senses awaken gratefulness within me?
How can they not?
If we had no senses
we could neither see, nor feel, nor hear, nor taste, nor smell . . .
anything.
We could not navigate the world,
or communicate,
or function at all . . .
our senses
are essential for us to live life as we know it.
I am not a scientist,
but believe
that even an amoeba has some sensory ability.
Our senses
color our world . . .
they give us the unimaginable ability
to experience life in a way we couldn’t otherwise fathom.
A flower is a miracle unto itself,
but to be able to see a flower
connects us to something outside of ourselves,
including each other.
Music,
whether it be the howling of a wolf,
a bird singing her heart out,
or a symphony that makes us weep,
a child,
crying in the night,
is a gift,
but meaningless
unless we can hear it.
Our senses provide texture and depth . . .
we taste the juices running down our chins
when we indulge in a ripe peach,
a strawberry,
a ripe tomatoe,
butter pecan ice cream.
This brings us Joy . . .
a kind of Joy we could not experience otherwise.
Our sense of smell
evokes memories
of when the first time we experienced it . . .
cut grass in the summer . . .
running through puddles after the rain;
blood . . .
when our hand went through a window:
sun-warmed manure . . .
the first time we visited a farm.
And then there is touch,
perhaps one of the most beautiful senses we have . . .
a hand on our shoulder,
meant to comfort:
feeling the soft fur of a beloved animal,
or the exquisite experience of stroking a sturgeon in the water,
the prickly feet of a bird,
perched on our finger.
We have a spiritual sense as well . . .
a sense of the Divine,
our Source . . .
God, Buddha, Allah,
Yahweh,
Vishnu and many others.
I believe
that this sense is what helps all of the other senses
see what is spiritual,
underneath or behind the physical,
and it helps us to see the connection among all of us . . .
whether we be tree or cloud or spinach,
or a stone.
Without a spiritual sense,
all of this would be meaningless.
So beautiful, Sparrow!
Thank you for the reminder of the ways we perceive the world-
the image of a flower
the sound of a howling of a wolf,
the taste of a ripe and juicy peach, and butter pecan ice cream,
the scent of freshly mowed grass in the summer,
the feel of a hand on my shoulder meant to comfort,
and the spiritual sense that gives meaning to our world.
Dear Sparrow, your sharing is truly a gift! 🎁♥️
Thank you,
dear Mary . . .
sometimes Life excites me. ♥
You have penned an exquisite tome dear Sparrow. Thank you for all the pondering provided.
Thank you,
dear Joseph . . .
sometimes I over-ponder. 🙂
I’m having a little trouble with feeling grateful right now. I’m just feeling a little off.
I will make the effort to be in the moment and take in life through my senses and get out of my head.
That should help. I may report back this evening. Thanks to everyone here for being here. I am grateful for you.
I just needed to rest today. I felt sad today about a few family issues.
Today I had an opportunity to be kind to myself and to be accepting of myself.
Again, I am grateful for this group. Thank you for being here. ☀️
Tomorrow is a new day. Hope it is a little better for you Mary: )
It will be. Thank you Robin Ann.
I’m sorry,
dear Mary,
that you are feeling low today . . .
we all thank you
for being a member of this family,
and are grateful for what you share,
whether it be happy or not so . . . ♥
Thank you Sparrow. ♥️
My mindfulness practice has helped me to awaken my senses to beauty and be grateful. Not only to beauty but also the simple human moments of connection.
Also strangely modern neuroscience. Knowing that our brains are designed not for happiness but for survival. We must remember negative things for our survival but the good slips by easily unnoticed. Thats why we have to be so intentional in how we train and place our attention.
Where attention goes energy flows. Being attentive to the beauty, being grateful. Growing the networks in our brains to move us from merely surviving but thriving 🙂
“Where attention goes energy flows.”
That is so true, Simone.
Thank you for this very important reminder.
The neuroscience angle is so interesting too!
Thank you.
Certainly something to think about,
dear Simone . . .
thank you for bringing this here. ♥
all gratefully awe inspiring and by no means a matter of course, the gift of senses working without effort, such vivid possibilities our body presents, gratefully for the body´s ablility to see and to perceive things, to hear the birds sing in spring and to listen deeply to others, the smell or a beautiful scent of an evening primrose, being able to eat and enjoy delicious food or taste fresh and healthy food or drinking precious, life-giving water, to be able to think and to sense so many beautiful things, receiving the world´s utter beauty through all the senses, resulting in a colorful, joyful, sensual enriching and exciting life! Thank you, life!🙏✨🙇♀️❤️🌸
Dear Ose, Your response is so joyful and uplifting!!!
Thank you! Sending you love!
Beautifully
and richly said,
dear Ose. ♥
So much of the dogma that I was taught told me to live in the spirit not the flesh. To live in the flesh was to be in sin. Richard Rohr calls this type of teaching the purity codes. How sad it was that small children were brain washed. I never thought of my breath as the breath of life. I never appreciated my sense of smell. I took my eye sight for granted but my ability to hear music and sing my little heart out has always awakened gratefulness within me. The gift of song awakens all of my senses. For this I am most grateful.
I wasn’t raised this way (it was more like “mind over matter” and body is subservient to mind), but I am interested to learn more about the purity codes and that form of thinking. It seems very relevant to today’s times. And your relationship with singing sounds wonderful, Carol.
I was raised
much the same as you,
dear Carol,
and am so grateful I found myself
anyway . . .
I am also grateful
that you made it out too.
I feel for the children
who are still being raised that way today. ♥
Right now I’m relating very well to today’s quote. I can only live right here and right now . I’m back out of the hospital.. thank you for helping me be brave and let go.
Thank you, Antoinette for sharing so authentically.
I have been touched by your words, and I am with you.
I’m back and I’m deeply touched by your support. Thank you Mary .
Hope you feel better Antoinette! Get lots of rest.
ROBIN ANN – thank you ! I’m home now and I am so very grateful.
I’m grateful,
dear Antoinette,
that you are home,
and hope that you are feeling better. ♥
I think of the term, The Eternal NOW. There is wisdom in those words. If we ain’t “now here,”” we’re “no where” lost and alone. Glad to know you are home. Hugs, Carol
Yesterday on a walk I rejoiced in seeing the clear blue sky, smelling the perfume of flowers on the air, listening to birds, feeling my body move. And then….
Right now my senses remind me to be grateful when I’m strong and well. On that walk I tripped on a slab of upheaved sidewalk and took a hard fall. Skinned and bruised hands and knees, a wrenched or bruised rib that sent me to the ER to make sure it wasn’t broken, and lots of pain. Everything hurts today and it will hurt more tomorrow. I can still enjoy spring springing around us but I won’t be going for my usual walks or bike rides for a bit.
Yikes! Give your body all the time it needs to heal fully. Rest and protein will stimulate the process. Blessings
oh no Barb…. wishing you a speedy recovery and healing wishes your way 🙂
I am so sorry you took such a hard fall,
I know that had to hurt,
yet I’m glad you didn’t break any bones.
Rest well, dear Barb. ♥️
That ground certainly does seem to get harder as the years unfold. Healing and caring thoughts your way Barb.
Oh No! Glad you are ok Barb. I fell this week too! Not fun at all. I am feeling less sore today for sure and hope you do too soon!
Oh no Barb, wishing you ease and comfort as you heal. Glad you didn’t break anything. Sidewalk slabs can be vicious. It’s amazing how they seem to come out of nowhere even though they’re totally stationary. As an aside, I think it was you who recommended the book Vegetables Love Flowers. I want to extend my gratitude for the recommendation–what a good book! I love how it’s written and am learning a lot.
Thanks, Drea. And yes, that was me. Glad you’re finding the book helpful. I’ll be rereading portions of that for quite a while. Someone just told me about the “snail” method of starting seeds the other day and said they’ve never had such hearty, hardy seedlings so I’m planning to try that. https://www.ruralsprout.com/snail-seed-starting-method/
Thanks Barb, I may give the snail a try. It’s hard to decide when to buy little plants and when to try to grow them, because we’re in hail season, and spring goes from moderate weather to really hot pretty quickly. I sometimes fantasize about having a greenhouse, ha.
Rest,
dear Barb . . .
and enjoy the outdoors from your window
for a few days. ♥
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had such a rough fall. I pray the pain isn’t too bad and hope you can get back to your regular routine soon.
Take care, dear Barb.
Oh Barb, I’m sorry to hear about this accident. May you heal quickly. In the meantime, take heart knowing this is temporary and your body will heal. May your senses bring you joy from what you see, hear, smell and taste.
Right now it is actively raining heavily in our city. I hear the drops on the roof, I smell the freshness , I feel the cold as it penetrates through window drafts, and I will taste the bounty of the gardens that were nourished by the moisture.
April showers do bring May flowers and June veggies!
I’m learning about how my body expresses fatigue. I have long been conditioned to override, ignore, and minimize signs of fatigue until they warp into a new, stronger form. I’m learning to become receptive to my body’s (sometimes counterintuitive) signals, so that I can take time to recover. I am grateful that I still have so much to learn, and that I have the opportunity to work with my body to build strength and resilience.
Hi Drea,
I too know about continuing to push onward, well after my body says stop.
I have the habit of doing too much, or sometimes not much at all.
I need to learn balance.🙂
Mary, me too!
Thank you for sharing your well-earned wisdom,
dear Drea . . .
it takes some of us
many knocks and falls
to come to terms
and accept that we are not super women. ♥
So true, Sparrow.
Drea, Thanks for your wise words…we seldom give our bodies the credit they deserve and forget that our body truly is our home and needs our care.
I love the way you put that Carol,
“our body truly is our home and needs our care.”
Carol, yes, the body does need a lot of care, and it lets us know first gently, then not-so-gently.
I’m wondering what group of senses should I put my heart in? I love my heart, as it determines that I’m human, I have feelings of love, and I can sense being loved. I’m grateful for them all, happiness contributes to my inner joy and bitterness helps me to value the moments of happiness.
My Ngoc, I remember our Miami Icon of the Seas cruise trip when we saw “The Wizard of Oz.” The tin man wished he had a heart.
You said that very eloquently. Thank you
The heart is a sense, isn’t it? I had not thought of it that way, but the heart receives and shares so much sensory information.
I can hear birds chirping outside, greeting this new day.
I can see my dogs smiling at me when I greet them in the living room… wagging tails, rolling sideways for a belly rub, reaching a paw towards me asking for a hug.
I can taste the richness of my coffee and that hint of spice with my cayenne/cinnamon addition.
I can smell the blooming spring and all of the sweetness she offers.
I can feel the warm sun kissing my skin, offering light, vitamin D, and extended presence.
And I can sense the inner stillness, the place in me where my light resides, the place that offers peace and reminds me of my truth.
I’m so grateful to be able to experience all of these senses that allow me to live such a full life.
Your gift to us
is a moment of Joy,
sharing your space . . .
thank you,
dear Sunnypatti. ♥
My senses awaken gratefulness with the gift of bringing me to a present moment. The warmth of the sun, the sound of the wind, birds, or nightly spring peepers soon, the sight of any type of natural water, the taste of a fresh strawberry, the smell of salt air – when the senses take notice I have to pause and take a breath that ends in a sigh of contentment. No matter the scene, wherever the moment, when the senses create a pause to experience the wonder, gratefulness awakens.
Beautiful,
dear Deann.
I too,
eagerly await the return of the spring peepers. 🙂
I didn’t know what a spring peeper was, so looked it up. What a lovely ecosystem you must live in, with salt air and the sound of spring frogs.
I am grateful to have my senses as not everyone does. I will be focused on my vision,hearing,tasting,smelling, and touch throughout the day and be grateful and thankful.
Happy Friday everyone!
They help to remind me that life is not happening to me, it is happening as me. May all have their senses filled with spring on this gift of today.
I can never hear your quote
often enough,
dear Joseph . . . ♥
Love this line that you’ve shared before, Joseph: “life is not happening to me, it is happening as me.”
You as well