Good Taste is Over-rated (Part 3)

Umami. (pronounced like ooh-mommy) This is a term for our 'fifth flavor sense', the others being; bitter, sweet, salty, and sour. Umami refers to a savory taste. Who knew? Many of you, possibly, but this is utterly new information to me. I like it. To me, it feels sort of spiritual. (You know how I love my metaphors.) Umami represents a conglomeration of flavors that give an overall satisfying sensation, and wouldn't each of us like to believe that we can be a small part of some overall good?
I do delight in an endless array of flavors -to a fault. In a way, taste is one of the most powerful senses we have been given. It is one that is easily over-indulged and therefore, must be enjoyed with the most self-control. How bittersweet that such pleasure must be overcome. As much as I love to eat, I am gaining new appreciation for my other non-tasting senses. Instead of reaching into the fridge or pantry when I feel sad, happy, lonely, bored, etc., there are other senses to satiate. I can treat myself in ways that won't end with regret, self-condemnation, or type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Delightful music, fragrant candles, a cozy blanket, and a delicious book. Mmm, the taste of contentment.

Smells Like Nostalgia (Part 2)

Take a deep breath. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Take one more. What does it smell like? What emotions come over you? I can smell the toast and eggs that my daughter just made herself for breakfast, my coffee sitting next to me, and the general odor that is unique to my home. Toast is one of my favorite smells, it's so timeless. It takes me right back to my own childhood munching on toast in front of the Saturday morning cartoons.
There have been countless scientific studies on the ability of certain scents to evoke  strong memories. What part of the brain causes this phenomenon, what senses are responsible for the most powerful recollection, the Proust Effect, and so on, and so forth. While all of this is fascinating indeed, I like the assertion made by Christopher Brosius, (founder of IHatePerfume), “Smell doesn’t really evoke memory, it evokes the emotion we felt at the time that caused the memory ...in the first place.”*
One of the most transcendental experiences I have ever had came on a quite ordinary summer evening when my husband and I were driving home from I don't remember where. I closed my eyes (I was in the passenger seat), laid my head back, and just smelled. From the highway dotted with restaurants and businesses, through the suburban neighborhoods into my driveway, the array of aromas was -as a writer I must apologize for this adjective -indescribable. You must try this. No matter the time or place, in a matter of minutes, you will find proof that ordinary can be remarkable and mundane can be magical.

*Taken from an article posted on YouBeauty, Scent and Memory, Familiar Smells Evoke Forgotten Feelings, by Nadia Goodman

Sound Reflections (Part 1)

I never cease to marvel at God's phenomenal Design, particularly, the human organism. The vessel of life, every sense requires millions of tasks to be performed diligently and flawlessly. It is the foundation of our very existence. For the sake of introspection, (always for the sake of introspection) I am starting a series of discussions on our sensory experience. To begin....sense of sound.
Consider what your sense of hearing means to you. Beyond the voices of our loved ones, so many sounds can lift us up.  For me, I have always loved the sound of a wooden screen door closing, the ting of the seat belt on/off indicator on an airplane, and the throaty rumble of a muscle car's engine. And I swear, after 44 years, I could now stand outside anywhere in Mid-Michigan and tell what month it is just by listening to the sounds of nature. 
And then, there is music. The sound that makes the thought of losing my hearing unbearable. How a song can move my soul, bring on tears of joy or sadness, fill me with hope or wonder or purpose. No other man-made marvel can connect people so quickly and resolutely.
Consider the assertion made in an article by Angela Morrow, The Journey Towards Death on About.com, "It is widely believed that hearing is the last sense to go..."
I know that beyond death, there is inconceivable life, but it is hard to imagine any sound in heaven that could rival what is 'hear' on earth.

My Two Masters

My emotional health is completely out of synch with my physical health. While I am trying to convince myself that I am evolving spiritually and connecting with my inner goddess, my body is betraying me. I can't seem to stop gaining weight, and it's getting harder and harder to feel okay about how I look.
Ok, ok, I know enough to know that nothing is out of synch. I am battling depression -probably the seed of empty nest syndrome, or maybe just an ordinary mid-life crisis.  Funny, though, how the heart and mind can be committed to an enlightened destination, while the subconscious is busy crossing wires, altering the coordinates and sabotaging the entire journey. I am really really trying to not be so hard on myself, then I heard something great at church. (don't you just love church? ...if you don't then you are at the wrong one)
From Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
The verse refers to God and Wealth as two opposing masters, but it struck me that it's God and Ego that divide me. It's just a realization with no resolution, but understanding a problem is always key to finding an answer. Hopefully, (thank You, God, for Hope) the answer is just around the corner. I'm going to acknowledge my problem, ask for support from the people who love me, and never give up on myself. I'm glad to not be alone, and I rejoice that there is always hope.