…So I have been having these experiences lately where I am just so much more in tune with what is going on around me; pertaining to my senses.  I just can smell, feel, hear, taste, and see more vibrantly than before.  I observe this in various part of my day but most readily observable is when I am out in the park walking with my dogs.  As of lately, I would have to say end of July through now August, I have been much more aware of my senses.  They are heightened and I am more engaged to things around me, much more so than I have ever been…

…And then something hit me.  I posted on my Facebook page an article link and comment on something I read from my daily email from the DailyOm.  It was an article on Ways we Numb Ourselves.  Now bear with me a second here as I go through my thought process.  So the article was describing how numbing ourselves can lead us to not feeling, not being aware of our senses, and not really being fully alive.  The quote from the article that most easily sums this up is “The less you feel, the less alive you feel. Your feelings add vividness to your experiences and serve to connect you to the world around you.”  To me this is saying that we just go through the motions and are unaware of all the beauty around us if we are not in touch with our feelings.  Our feelings provide vibrant experiences in the world around us…

…So I have been feeling really happy and healthy lately.  I have been practicing my self-treatment Reiki.  I have been making sure to get regular exercise in.  I have been eating a much more wholesome sampling of foods; vegetables, fruits, whole grains, things from the earth that are not refined or processed.  I have been taking time each week to practice Yoga or meditation.  I have been working on my relationship with Drew.  I have been enjoying my life.  And who’s to say it is just one of these things (like the whole foods) that is bringing out the vivid awareness I have been experiencing versus the whole balance of my life on a whole.  I am not sure which it is or if it is all of them.  It may even be the relaxation and peace I get from giving myself self-Reiki treatments.  Who knows.  But I have to tell you things are just brighter, more alive, and more in my face…

…I walk the dogs through the park and smell such smells I was never aware of.  I can smell someone baking on one side of the park and then as I walk through another area I smell the more salty scent of bacon and eggs wafting in.  I smell the fresh-cut grass like the mower is right next to me.  I feel the sun beating on my face and feel the breeze through my hair.  I notice my breath and how I am walking with the dogs.  I feel my feet on the pavement.  I feel my foot in my shoe and notice how I am stepping on the ground.  I breathe deeply and notice how my heart is beating.  I hear children laughing on the playground or families talking at the pool.  I hear dogs playfully barking on the grass.  I see such bright greens and the sky is such a brilliant blue.  I love how the puffy clouds are almost painted like in the sky.  They look so comfortable and fluffy like Reggie, Rusty, and I can just go for a nap.  I smile as I see the happiness on the biker’s face, see the determination on the runner’s brow, and see the joy in the family walking together along…

…I am not exaggerating.  This past month or so as I walk my dogs things are just so much more apparent to me.  I am so much more in tune with nature and with my senses.  I am so much more alive to the world around me.  And I am reminded of the Louis Armstrong song almost everyday as I walk along, “What a Wonderful World”…

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces, of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, sayin’, “How do you do?”
They’re really sayin’, “I love you”

I hear babies cryin’, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more, than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Oh yeah