Every now and then one of my senses will detect something that teleports me to another place and time. Something from my past. Usually a good memory as a kid. A recent occurrence of this got me thinking, “What if all of the senses were triggered at once? Where would I go?” So I closed my eyes, spun up the data banks in my mind and began a series of memory queries starting with the sense of smell.
Searching….
Bingo, a match. The smell is that of the air just after a rain. An almost sweet smell, clean and pure. It is difficult to distinguish the various scents but I believe i can detect the smell of the ground, freshly filtered by a light shower. Also present is a slight hint of sweetness, the fragrance of the foliage softly shaken by the falling water. I suppose it is just as likely to be the air itself sans the impurities that weighted down the air and made it heavy on the sniffer. Whatever the actual source of the smell, it is clear that there is little that can compare to the smell of freshly washed nature.
Next up in the search algorithm… the sense of hearing. The returning result is that of the breeze tussling leaves in a row of poplar trees. The broad leaves beating against each other to form a symphony reminiscent of falling rain. It is a deafening noise, but somehow soft at the same time. It is the sort of sound that has calming patterns and the longer I listen, the more peaceful I feel. This isn’t the only sound that was returned in my search though. I also hear animals. I hear doves cooing from their perches among the poplar trees. I hear the sounds of tiny feet scurrying across dirt and that of a tail dragging behind. I imagine that to be a horned lizard (aka Horny Toad) that is in search of ants to dine on. Although the sound could also be the hard carapace of a California black stink bug scratching the ground as it goes about its business. Finally I can make out the faintest of rumblings of thunder off in the distance.
Accessing the memory database again, this time for tactioceptions, reveals several familiar sensations. I feel the warmth of the sun. It is not too hot, nor too cold. I also feel the occasional cooling of the breeze. Suddenly, a single drop of the lingering rain falls on my forearm. Its a moment that shocks the body into focusing all attention on that exact spot in an instant and lasting just as long. A red hot yet icy cold sensation that is both satisfying and frightening.
Moving on to my sight memory section of the database, I imagine the visual representation of information returned. The sky is awash in the colors of dusk. Vivid reds and oranges streak the otherwise blue canvas. There are some fluffy white clouds with dark menacing portions to them floating lazily above. In the distance, the image is smudged where the rain storm is still washing the landscape. The occasional flicker of light from what I understand to be lightning bolts appear. The ground is darkened by the wetness of the recent rain and I can see the leaves of the poplar trees dancing in the breeze.
The final search term for my jaunt down memory lane, finds few hits. There wasn’t anything in the scene to titillate my taste buds. The result labeled taste is only so labeled in reference to what I might have tasted if I were able to take a bite of the mental images. Something like watermelon I surmise. Juicy and sweet from the cleansing rains.
I take all of those individual sensational images and mash them together to form a single place and time ingrained in my memory. A fantastically peaceful and happy place for sure, but is it real or just imagined. Did a single place and time exist the way I have put it together. The answer is sort of or almost. I am definitely seeing a complete picture of a place and time, but in reality it may not have all happened at once. Those who know me best may be able to guess the place and/or time which I am thinking about.
What does the memory banks of your senses reveal to you as a heaven of the senses?