Celebrate Summer Joys: Engage Your Senses, Week 2 of a Month of Gratitude Practice

Noticing beauty needn’t be limited to seeing it. Last week we focused on COLOR, something we experience with our eyesight, but this week I want you to awaken your other senses.

So often lately I’ve caught myself feeling rushed. I realize I’m hurrying without even knowing why. My schedule is, mostly, my own. It’s flexible. Yes, I’m juggling a lot of projects right now, but there’s no need for me to hurry to finish any of them.

Engaging all my senses helps me to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N.

I can’t savor a delicious meal if I’m rushing through it. The same goes for any part of my days. If I take the time to listen, touch, smell and taste, I have no choice but to experience everything at a slower pace.

Try it.

Here are a few things I’ve been noticing lately:

• the rattle of cicadas

• the hum of bees

• grass tickling my bare feet

• the velvety leaves of my peppermint geranium

• the spicy scent of tulsi, self-seeded around the garden

• the rich rosy fragrance of a Gertrude Jekyll rose saved from Japanese beetles

• the taste of a perfectly ripe tomato still warm from the sun

• the sweet crunch of the last of the snow peas

So tell me, what are you noticing with your other four senses?