64- Touch

Attention photographers and past collaborators. I’m open to ideas for the month of May. Check the Topics List then let me know.

Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.

I like walking on the beach. It’s good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

I feel the firm sand with each step. My feet enable me to distinguish degrees of wetness – yet, I cannot feel individual grains of sand – but I do love the water’s smooth caress. Ahhhhh … the sense of touch.

As I walk, I can tell when I step on a fine gritty layer of fine shells – or when I step on a single shell. My eyes tell me to slow down and be careful as I cross a dense area of shells – or even advise me to detour. Yet, I am impressed how the touch on the bottom of my feet causes me to retract my step when encountering a shell’s sharp edge. Cheers to the sense of touch.

I think about the sense of touch of my feet when they are not on this beach, but in a sock that’s in a shoe. I not only feel the sock on these feet, but I can also distinguish the inside of my shoe. Better yet, I can feel the floor where I stand, and the bottom of each shoe between the floor and my feet. From plush carpet to wood to tile or concrete, I can distinguish levels of hardness of the floor. Yes, the marvels of the sense of touch.

I think about the sensitivity of our fingertips and how much we rely on them. While the touch sensing ability of the skin on our back is much less sensitive than our fingers, but our lips are even more sensitive than our fingers as noted in a soft, sensuous kiss. Ahhh – the sense of touch.

When biting into an apple or a pear, the sense of touch allows us to distinguish them by differentiating the fleshy textures. It’s the sense of touch allowing the blind to read through the Braille system.

Touch is related to our mood and the situation. Think about the differences between touch in a loving couple while amorous and the “don’t touch me” feeling during an argument.

Touch differs between cultures – let alone among people. Some show touch as an acceptance or appreciation, but others react to touch as an infringement of their space. Those that are tactile-oriented must learn to change because others are not.

Touch, that complex feedback system linking behaviors and emotions. Touch, that therapeutic sign of assurance, friendliness, encouragement, and comfort. Touch, the sense we associate with erogenous.

Of all the senses, I imagine touch is the least researched yet, psychologists approach different aspects of touch, but not its absence or loss.

We can close our eyes to simulate blindness, plug our ears to limit sound, or hold our nose to limit smell – but can you imagine not being able to feel? Can you imagine a life without that sense of touch that protects us? Can you imagine being unable to detect the caress by a loved one that gives us a feeling of comfort? Some are born without this sense – others lose it from burns, neuropathy, and other conditions.

Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy the current feeling the beach gives me because I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have written about touch

• An Awakening Touch (collaborative poem)
• Tactile photos (photos)
• Fingerprints Enhancing Our Sense of Touch (short essay)
• Touch … (poem)
• World Braille Day (short essay)

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