Five Sense Show Down for "America the Beautiful":
Sight:
- Manicured. It is the only word that begins to adequately describe what I see. It manifests in uniform, systematic streets, planned neighborhoods, and perfectly landscaped green lawns with sprinkler systems. Worship at church is offered at just the right decibel, meetings start on time, and meals come on matching plates. Props to all you civil engineers, worship arts leaders and culinary specialists but know it is also kind of creepy how managed our surroundings are. They are almost too perfect…
Smell:
- Sweet, fresh, and absent the universal sewer smell. Seriously, sewers around the world put off the same scent and I must miss it. That is, miss it enough to notice the absence thereof.
- Aside from sweet, fresh, etc., I have also noticed it takes some effort to breath. A Colorado native, I should have no issue with altitude, technically. The noticeable effort of late comes from the lack of humidity. Dang if it isn’t dry here! I will now call it The Land of the Stuffy Nose.
Sound:
- Annoying. I quickly realized I could tolerate advertisements on the radio around the globe because I would play a game of trying to see how many words I could recognize in the native tongue wherever we were. Then I’d get to decide what the advertisement was about. At home where I can understand talk on the radio, it is just plain annoying. Commercials drone on and on about how whatever is going to make my life better. Really? I seem to have done just fine this last year without said product or service and I am none too keen to have you sink the hooks of your discontent back into my life. I promise, I can do without.
Touch:
- Driving to the airport before my final flight into Denver I was asked what I was most looking forward to in my homecoming. Darn it if the tears just didn't surprise the poo out of me. Not really, that would have been embarrassing and messy. I quickly composed myself and waited the necessary hours until I could be wrapped up in that which I was looking forward too — hugs from my family. Call me a sap but it is true, I missed hugs.
- I love my pillow. Don’t get me wrong, the red inflatable pillow I slept on most of this last year was sufficient but my pillow and the scent, texture, contours, and comfort it offers remains far, far superior.
Taste:
- What comes to mind is one of my favorite “I Love Lucy” episodes entitled, Vitameatavegamin (view below). While there probably isn’t a strong correlation between the episode and my current consumption of vegetables I do imagine if you could get tipsy from eating green beans and broccoli I would currently be smashed.
