Battle of the Senses

While I reflected on how much I love our precious, fleeting summers, my five senses entered into a philosophical debate about which has the most to lose once summer bids farewell. 

As usual, my mouth started it. “The rest of you can only hope to fathom the awesomeness of summer,” it said. “You’ll never sink your teeth into cool watermelon or snap into a juicy carrot fresh from the garden or dig into a buttered cob of sweet corn. You can’t imagine the refreshment of a cool drink after a day of work in the sun, or the bliss of sharing a Popsicle with someone you love. And don’t even get me started on ripe strawberries, new potatoes, juicy peaches, or home-grown tomatoes. I’m watering just thinking about it!” 

My eyes begged to differ. “You have no idea,” they said. “You’ve never seen a little girl in a sundress or children making sand castles on the beach. You can’t see the 50 shades of green framed by the picture window, or the vivid reds, oranges, and yellows of nasturtiums, the purples and pinks of pansies and petunias. You can’t imagine the splendor of sailboats on the sparkling lake or the brilliance of a canola field in glorious, golden bloom, or a lady’s bright pink toenails on tanned and sandaled feet. And how do I begin to explain a rainbow? Or fireworks bursting against the black sky?”

That’s when my ears chimed in. “Fireworks? A racket, if you ask me. But then you can’t hear what I hear. From the early morning melodies of hundreds of birds to the late-night chirping of bullfrogs and crickets, summer is kind to me. I wish you could hear the laughter and splashing around a kiddie pool, the delicate buzz of a bee pollinating the hydrangeas, the goofy chatter of squirrels, the crack of a bat against a baseball, rain tapping on the window, or the delights of an open-air concert in the park. You’ll never know the joy an ice-cream truck’s tinny tune offers. Even the roar of a lawn mower and the snap-snap-snapping of flip-flops on feet are music to me.”

At the mention of feet, my nose couldn’t stop twitching. “Are you kidding me? I knows I’ve got the best of it and if you’d ever smelled lilacs in full bloom, you would knows it too. Not to mention the scent of roses, lilies, or freshly cut grass. Of course, all these smells are intensified after a rain. And that’s not all! You can’t imagine the earthy fragrance of fresh garden beets simmering in the kitchen, the tantalizing aroma of steaks grilling in the neighbourhood, or the comforting scent of sheets dried outdoors. Why, I even like the coconutty smell of sun screen!”

My Sense of Touch felt drawn into the discussion, too. “You all make me laugh. The rest of you are limited to one receptor, or two at most. But me! I can feel with hands, feet, everything! You haven’t lived until you’ve felt warm sand or lush grass under bare feet. You can’t possibly understand the soothing warmth of sunshine on skin or the utter relief of a gentle breeze on a hot day. You’ll never experience the refreshing shock of plunging your hot body into a pool of cold water, or be rocked gently to sleep in a hammock, or embrace the heat of a campfire after dark.”

My senses continued to argue, trying to outdo each other, but I tuned them out. I know it’s me who is the lucky one. I’m privileged to enjoy summer using all five senses when even just one would be amazing and worthy of my gratitude. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...” James 1:17

Hope you’re absorbing summer in every sense of the word!