senseless

Today, I am grateful for two under appreciated senses: taste and smell. Of the five we talk about, these two seem to be the least necessary, but life isn't complete without them. I've had a cold for the past few days and it blocked my sense of taste and smell for the first two days. I could tell if something was sweet or salty in my mouth and I got whiffs of fragrant suds in the shower, but I couldn't get true flavors or scents. I so wanted to taste our new Trader Joe's find, Sweet Potato soup, and enjoy some salt and vinegar potato chips, but my nose couldn't do any smelling and my mouth couldn't do any real tasting. Unfortunately, I still had an appetite so I ate, but more out of obligation than desire.

Sometimes, I don't appreciate odors like the smell of leftovers rotting in the fridge or the sick scent of a rat decaying in our wall, but what would happen if I couldn't smell those things? What if I couldn't taste the bitter bite to a rancid nut or the moldy muck of an over-ripe banana? My body (and Kent) would be in trouble. Thus, I am grateful for my sense of taste and smell. I'll take the foul smells and tastes as long as I get the pleasant scent of pine and the quirky taste of kiwi, too.

Here's a little something for you to see and hear.