The other day, I was standing beside a friend, and she asked,
“what does that guy’s shirt say?” I looked off in the direction in which she was
looking. There was a gentleman, approximately 50 yards away, wearing a t-shirt,
and it had the name of a school printed across the chest. I stated the name of
the school and she replied, “yeah, but what does it say under that?” As I squinted and took another look, I did see what
looked like a scroll/line under the larger block letters. She guessed what she
thought it looked like and, as he came closer, we confirmed she was correct. I
barely saw this man and he was 6’2” and 240 pounds. I didn’t stand a chance of
reading this tiny text.
Anyone who’s spent any time with me knows that the saying “when
one sense fails you, the others pick up” doesn’t ring true to me. I’m not
clinically deaf (accordingly to countless hearing tests) and I don’t think I
suffer from selective hearing, but I do struggle to hear in various situations.
In a restaurant setting, I find it difficult to tune out the background noise
of laughter, chatter, and dishes clattering, to hear my dining companions
across the table from me. In a meeting at work, if more than one person is
talking, I have to choose one to focus on and watch their lips, despite not
actually being able to read lips. Conversely, I hear things that most people
either do not or are able to ignore. Things like the hum of florescent lights,
the clicking of appliances using electricity, and the din of distant motors
running.
On the few occasions that someone asks “do you smell smoke,”
I inevitably do not. But I am extremely cognizant of and sensitive to someone
wearing too much perfume/cologne, cigarette smoke, and burned popcorn.
I believe my taste is spot on. I would not describe my
palate as refined, but I feel confident I could (and have!) successfully pass
the Pepsi/Coke Challenge.
And, finally, I think I have the touch sense down. I’m
generally aware when I feel something and when something touches me. Just ask
the last piece of seaweed that brushed against my leg in the ocean.
These are a few of my favorite things. . .
…to see: clouds, my
family, TV, words on a page, moving water
…to hear: laughter
(especially that of my loved ones), thunderstorms, music
…to smell: puppy
tummies, gasoline, freshly mown grass, the air right before a rain
…to taste: chocolate,
cheese, fruit tea, butter
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