Heightened Senses
Lately I’ve noticed that some of my senses seem to be heightened. Not super-powers heightened (Not yet anyway, crossing my fingers there) but just picking up on things I normally don’t notice. Specifically my sense of smell has picked up. I’m now noticing the scents around me much clearer than I used to whether it’s a steeping cup of tea, or the aroma of my dinner.
I’m also seemingly noticing colors more sharply too. I especially noticed this during Christmas, when the Christmas lights just seemed to be brighter and crisper. I’m pretty sure my eyesight hasn’t actually gotten better, especially since over the past year I’ve noticed one or two of those random black floaters in my vision occasionally.
Hearing is another sense that I’m noticing has changed. Particularly that I’m picking up on more nuance within things. This can be as simple as a whirl of a print spool in the background, or background percussion on a music track.
Taste is the easy one. Most peoples taste buds change, and I heard somewhere every seven or so years is common. I’ve definitely gone from a very very picky eater as a kid to pretty much being able to find enjoyable food in just about any setting.
As I was not bitten by a radioactive spider or operated on by Dr. Strange, something else must be happening. My theory is that it’s the experience of age giving me a broader appreciation of the world around me. It’s not so much that I’ve gotten super powers, but that I appreciate the nuance and know to look for it. I know there’s nice background tracks in good songs, that the overall color scheme and constrast in Christmas lights makes an enjoyable display. I recognize and identify more scents as being specific to something else I enjoy, such as a cup of tea. I take note of that scent, and that information, and use it to further my enjoyment rather than letting it passively go in one nostril and out the other so to speak. Enough positive reinforcement in my brain associated with a smell, or a sound or image, makes me take a more active notice of that sense and think “Hey, I like this.”