Do You Have Good Sense?

In what sense, you may ask (see what I did there?). The Oxford English Dictionary (the only dictionary) defines “sense” this way:

sense /sɛns / ▸ noun 1 a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch: the bear has a keen sense of smell which enables it to hunt at dusk. 2 a feeling that something is the case: she had the sense of being a political outsider you can improve your general health and sense of well-being. ▪ a keen intuitive awareness of or sensitivity to the presence or importance of something: she had a fine sense of comic timing. 3 [mass noun] a sane and realistic attitude to situations and problems: he earned respect by the good sense he showed at meetings. ▪ a reasonable or comprehensible rationale: – ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun in the sense ‘meaning’): from Latin sensus ‘faculty of feeling, thought, meaning’, from sentire ‘feel’. The verb dates from the mid 16th century.

I like to think the combined meaning of good “sense” conveys the idea of a person who is keenly aware of their surroundings and is able to have a sane, realistic attitude towards situations and problems. Does this call a certain fictional “consulting detective” to anyone else’s mind?

What made Sherlock Holmes so successful? His deductive powers would seem to some as uncanny, but he would say of himself that his abilities were “elementary” (OED- relating to the basic elements of a subject). This well-loved literary hero paid attention to his surroundings. He stopped to take in what he could see, smell, taste, hear and touch. Sherlock meditated on that information and was able to come to conclusions that solved complicated problems.

What about you? Do you have good sense? Having good sense is a practice and it really does involve more than just being very smart. It requires one to be completely present in their environment. This might seem counter intuitive right now since most of us are drawn to mind numbing activities. We do not want to be fully immersed in the present. None of us want to talk about how many television shows we’ve blown through during this Pandemic. But won’t prolonged exposure to mind numbing activities lead to “dull sense” and “nonsense”?

I am not suggesting you cancel your Netflix subscription, nor will I cancel mine, but let us try an exercise. Right this moment, what do you see? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you smell? What do you feel, literally and emotionally? Now take a moment to meditate on those observations and draw some conclusion…dwell in the elementary. You may find that you need to address an issue, make yourself more comfortable, or perhaps that your surroundings are actually quite pleasant. What would happen if you did this several times a day? Some possible results:

- You’ll be a good problem solver, maybe even as good as Sherlock.

- You’ll be “present” and this can lower your stress and anxiety.

- You may even find yourself to be more appreciative.

In the next article we will be discussing the sensory benefits of baking bread. For now I will have to excuse myself.I am going to be completely present while I delight my senses in the ritual of making a pumpkin spice latte.

Photo courtesy of Easton Roberts