I'm Going on a Date...with...?

Day 30
335 Days Remaining

So, I am under orders to go on a date.

I don't think this date will break my rules, though (see The Guidelines); it is a date with one of my senses.  I'm not quite sure yet how I will go about taking my sense on a date, and in fact I'm not even sure yet which sense I will be heading out with.

As English class assignments go, this one is interesting.  I was intrigued when she first brought up the concept: she feels it is important for us to fully engage our senses, as writing is largely description, which is based on - of course - observation.  Unfortunately, we tend to not engage our senses often enough, nor fully enough.  I love the idea of just taking the time to really focus on one of your senses and see how much you can observe that you might normally not notice, or that we generally take for granted.

My sense of taste is generally quite well developed.  I am a bit of a "foodie" - I love food, both cooking it and eating it.  Quite often I will take my sense of taste out for a date without prompting from any professor!  I find that I love having the time alone to just really enjoy my food, to figure out what might be in a certain dish and to see if I could possibly replicate it at home.  I will often also bring a book and just enjoy my own company.  So, I don't think I'll be taking my sense of taste on a date this time...in fact, I just did the other night, so my wallet wouldn't like that either.

One of my absolute favorites...the tuna tataki at the Cactus Club Cafe, Victoria

So that leaves sight, hearing, touch and smell.  I love the idea of taking my sense of smell out for a date.  The main reason I'm so excited about that possibility is that the only way I can think of doing that is by going for an aromatherapy massage!  I've thought about inquiring into booking a massage and asking them to leave the room completely silent - with none of that wonderfully relaxing spa music and water sounds, and definitely with no chatting by the massage therapist! - and to blindfold myself.  I would ask them to use as many different essential oils as possible, so that I can focus individually on each one and see how the different smells make me feel, as well as attempting to identify each scent.  This is probably the idea that I am most focused on at this point.  Does that not sound like an amazing date to you?  I bet my sense of smell would totally come back to my place with me after a date like that (ha ha).  Of course, the sense of touch is involved there, as well, but mostly on the receiving end.  My time with that particular sense would involve a lot less passivity, if I choose to take touch on my date.

Sight.  I could walk down by the Inner Harbour and people-watch, something I tend to do a lot anyway.  I could stroll down Dallas Road and try to see the ocean, beach, boats, trees, people and ever-present dogs that I have seen so often in my twenty-five years of living here, with new eyes.  I could possibly go to the museum, or, specifically, an art museum, which is something I have never done before.  This is another sense which I feel I exercise quite often and well; I do tend to always look beyond the surface as much as I can.  I think that has a lot to do with my work and the fact that I see a lot of elderly people, who perhaps aren't as beautiful (in the strictest, society-based sense) as they once were.  It is amazing to look beyond the wrinkles and stooped shoulders and gray hair to see the lovely person beneath (see my "Value Village" theory on this in #25 of 28 Things).

Hearing.  A concert?  I am going to a concert with my daughter later on this month (Jason Mraz and Christina Perri, one of my all-time favorite artists, mostly because her lyrics really resonate with me), but this assignment needs to be done long before that, so I won`t be able to use that for my date.  Thinking about taking my sense of hearing out for a date reminds me of lying on my floor with Black Luke and listening to every single track in my iTunes library with our eyes shut and ears open.  Hearing is also one of the senses I really exercise a lot, especially when it comes to music.  I`m also trying to exercise it in class during lectures, and in church during the sermon...both of which can be tough if you`re not finding the subject matter completely engrossing!

How to take my sense of touch out for a date..?  I'm a very tactile person, so with those I know and care about, I do tend to show my affection with touch (but don't worry; generally I have to know you pretty well before I start grooming you or stroking your face!).  This is probably in direct contradiction to my instinct as a health care professional to avoid unnecessary touching and to search out a sink and some soap, or a hand sanitizer dispenser, immediately following said touch.  Perhaps a visit to a fabric store, where I can get a few samples of different types of material, blindfold myself, and really pay attention to the diverse weights, softness, and durability of each (although it would likely be a deterrent to potential customers of the store if they walked in to see a woman with a blindfold on stroking all the merchandise).

I think I've pretty much narrowed it down to between smell and touch, as those are the senses I don`t engage as fully most of the time.  What do you think?  I have to get on this assignment fairly quickly, so I'd love some feedback as to which sense I should "entertain", and any suggestions on how to do it would be much appreciated!

L