Fine Tuning the Senses
Assuming that you are sitting at your computer reading this, stand up. Seriously. Stand up, right now.
Okay, now, walk around the room. Go ahead. I’ll wait…
You found your way back, eh? Wait… Don’t sit down yet.
Now, do it again, but with your eyes closed (don’t do this if this might be dangerous to your particular situation–like if your on a rooftop with your laptop). How far can you get before you bump into something?
If you were blind, you could probably find your way around your room, no problem. The only difference between you (assuming you are not blind) and a blind person is the absence of one–just one–sense, the sense of sight.
How is it that a blind person, not able to see the room, can find his way through, but you cannot, though you have the same other senses that he has?
Familiarity with the room? you argue.
But, don’t you have that same familiarity with your room?
The answer is, of course, that the blind person has refined his other senses in order to compensate for his lack of sight.
However, you do not need to lose a sense in order to strengthen the others!
All it takes is some practice.
Most people have already practiced such refinement with their hearing. Many people are adept at shutting out the noise and conversations around them in order to eavesdrop on a particular conversation.
Mechanics and other people that work with machinery can tune out different sounds in order to identify and troubleshoot a particular sound. To the average person, the machine makes noise. But, to the skilled operator, the machine makes a certain series of sounds when it is running properly and a different series of sounds when it is not.
Whether you want to refine your sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, or touch, you can do so with practice.
Spend just five minutes a day practicing, and you’ll soon see how much you can improve your senses!
For your sight, look around you. What things are you looking at everyday, but not seeing? I have seen people come to a place of business, pull on the locked door, and walk away in bewilderment, while never seeing the sign on the door that says the concern moved a couple doors down.
For your hearing, you can sit in your home or office, or even outside if you wish. Listen to the sounds around you and practice honing in on particular sounds. Maybe you hear the clock ticking. Focus on it. Despite the fact that the ticking does not growing louder, it will seem so as your focus turns to it and away from the other sounds in the room. People talk of tunnel vision, but few realize that this type of narrow-focus can be applied to the other senses as well.
For your sense of taste, try different foods. Try to determine the ingredient or the spices that seasoned the meal. Try to pick out individual flavors. Start with ones that are bold and noticeable, then work your way up to identifying the more subtle taste sensations.
For your sense of smell, notice the smells around you in the room. You can smell foods in the kitchen. Maybe the perfumes and colognes of your last guests in the living room. Try to separate the different smells, and focus on one in particular. Then, move to the next.
For your sense of touch, examine different textures. Feel paper. Notice the smoothness or maybe the texture of the sheet. Feel the different textures of your clothing. Close your eyes and try to identify things simply by touching them. The aid of a trusted partner can be helpful in this instance.
With practice and focus, you can improve all of your senses. There is a boundless world of discovery around you that you probably never even notice. Explore it!
Not a bad way to heighten senses. Actually most people sharpen their 5 senses without noticing except for sight.