Hearing

Grinch: "That's one thing I hate. All the noise, noise, noise, NOISE."
That's for sure--at the end of the year we are bombarded with a cornucopia of auditory stimuli. There are the pleasant sounds of Christmas carols, the Salvation Army bell, sideline whistles at the football game, and squeals from kids as they spot Santa or play in the snow. There's also the sound of the frustrated person in front of you in line, the whining of the kids when they're fingers are frozen, all the electronic games and annoying singing toys, and the crowds on the street/at the mall/on the rink/etc. Put it all together and what have you got? A headache.

Try to sneak away and find some silence. There's something about the air when the temperature drops to the lower numbers...it sounds different. I don't hear it much now that I live in the South but I remember the sound of snow crunching under my boots when I lived up North. Walking in the snow at night has a feeling--and a sound--like no other. The crackle of a fire in the fireplace--turn off all other sources and sit with that sound for a bit.

On the other hand, music can lift me to a whole new energetic level. Think about those times when your favorite song comes on the car stereo and you wail out the lyrics without a care as to who may be watching you from the car beside you. I love the tone I set in my home when I put my Sunday morning acoustic music on. My whole family eases through the morning. Music can be used to get you running faster on the treadmill or open more deeply into a pose in yoga. Songs can inspire us to make positive change and can resonate with the deep emotions within us. Through the sense of hearing we can feed our souls.

As we look to the New Year and new beginnings, consider that hearing isn't only done with our ears. We each have a little voice inside of us that speaks, and that voice needs to be heard. When we hustle through life at a crazy pace trying to keep up with the Jones', or even with just our own to-do list, we lose the ability to hear that inner voice. It requires being in tune with yourself (pun intended!). That higher spirit, that voice of God that lives in all of us, will tell us what to do to reach our goals. We need to trust it, listen to it, and let it guide our journey. And in challenging times, rather that speaking and asking why, try being quiet and opening yourself to answers you hadn't considered. They might not come right away but if we keep listening we will find peace.

"Peace is not the absence of noise, trouble, or real work. It is to be in the midst of those things and be calm in your heart."

peace, love, and good vibrations~

Taste

As I sip on my peppermint mocha coffee, I begin this diary of the five senses with the sense of taste. This time of year we are inundated, beginning with that big 'ol turkey and all it's trimmings, with flavor. Sweet, savory, creamy, crunchy, toasty, bubbly, flaky, spicy...I could go on and on. And so often, and so unfortunately, we indulge in these flavors at a big feast, plates piled high, everything running together, mindlessly being forked into our mouths. If not in that fashion it's grazing as we pass the buffet, indiscriminately popping bites in our mouths as we mingle and socialize with our loved ones. It's really no wonder we pack on the pounds this month of December.

What if we stopped and really took the time to taste the deliciousness that is so readily available to us. We look forward to the first pumpkin spice latte of the season--we savor it, we tweet about it, we buy them for our friends. What if each bite we put in our mouths were treated with such ritual. We'd never get anything done! That's what would happen! But lets do this exercise at least once a day this month. Let's sit down, with a napkin on our lap, the computer closed, the television off, and first say a quiet word of thanks. Consider all the people that played a role in that food arriving on our plate. Give thanks for all of Mother Nature's work. And let's taste our food--one bite at a time--putting our fork down between each bite.

The tip of our tongues sense sweet. The front portion of our tongues sense salty. Sour is tasted in the mid-to-back of our tongues, and bitter is noticed on the very rear of the tongue. Experiment with tasting your food and see what you notice. Pair your food with a glass of wine and pay attention to how they compliment one another. Have fun with it! But don't rush it. I'll bet you notice you feel satisfied long before finishing what you typically would in a sitting.

Find one thing each day to indulge in in this fashion. It could be a homemade cookie, a seasonable vegetable, a perfectly braised piece of beef, or even a warm bowl of oatmeal. Make note of how it makes you feel to taste your food in this way. Do it with a friend and compare experiences...just don't get to chatting and mindlessly eating! Food is meant to nourish us and fuel this body that carries us around this Earthly experience. Some reports say that one in twelve people on our planet is malnourished. How blessed we are to have such assortment of flavors and options available to us every day? Yet we spend so much time, especially this time of year, eating without appreciation--appreciation for the taste and appreciation for the sustenance.

Enjoy the parties and the holiday meals. Be mindful of what you eat, how it got to you, and of how fortunate you. Realize that tasting foods is something you can take pleasure in all year round--there's no reason to deny yourself! Start 2011 allowing yourself to fully use your sense of taste, and keep it simple. There's something to chew on for the next 5 weeks....

peace, love, and raw veggies...