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My husband and I had a rare opportunity to have the house to ourselves this past weekend while the kiddos were at a camp reunion. I wanted to make sure I reveled in all my senses while mindfully spending time at home, with no agenda, except to spend quality time together.
Here are the ways we did this.
Taste:
Ketchup
Aside from Ketchup being our former President’s favorite condiment, its tangy flavor notes and sweetness send many of us soaring. (anyone else dip scrambled eggs in ketchup as a kid?)
So my husband and I went out to dinner last night to a local eatery that we both love. It’s unpretentious, has great food and lots of plant-based options for me.
My husband ordered a crispy chicken sandwich which came with fries and I ordered a Mandarin orange salad with wontons and a citrus vinaigrette. I always appreciate when restaurants go out of their way to accommodate vegans and vegetarians and love that there was an option to add spinach falafel balls to the salad.
As I’m wont to do, I grabbed a few fries from hubby’s plate along with the little aluminum bowl of ketchup that accompanied it. As I dipped my crispy fry into the ketchup it dawned on me that this delectable condiment embodies all 5 of our core tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami - and in perfect proportions.
Some of you know that my beloved Mom is a NYC gourmet chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in NYC. She swears by ketchup as the quintessential condiment that also acts as an ingredient in other delicious condiments and foods like BBQ sauce, thousand island dressing and cocktail sauce.
Tell me. Are you a ketchup fan? What’s your favorite way to use it?
Scent:
Let’s go back to my romantic kid-free weekend for a moment shall we?
My husband’s favorite perfume scent on me is Pure d’Or by Karen Low. It has fruity and floral notes with a bit of musk and vanilla. It took a while for me to wear perfume again after being diagnosed with a chemical fragrance allergy in 2012. I had to patch test every single lotion, perfume and lip gloss to see which items I could tolerate and which caused literal skin wounds on my face and lips. We were both so delighted to find this one, which causes me no distress. I’m thrilled to be able to wear more than just rose oil these days.
It occurred to me that as much as I adore scents and aromas, I never ask my husband to wear cologne. I thought about back in high school when I’d walk into the 9th grade dance only to be met with an olfactory assault of Drakkar Noir coming from all the pre-pubescent boys.
Truth be told, however, I LOVE this scent and I asked Barry to go get some and put it on. I felt like we should be necking in the back seat of our car to fully appreciate the nostalgia but savored it nonetheless.
I looked up Drakkar Noir to see what the scent notes are to better understand my gravitation to it. Was it just a case of scents bringing back special memories of youth or is it more than that?
According to Chat GPT - Drakkar Noir has “top notes of bergamot, rosemary, and lavender, middle notes of cardamom and geranium, and base notes of vetiver, cedar, and fir balsam” which tells me a lot. Bergamot, with its citrusy elements and cardamom, cedar and rosemary with it’s woody notes are certainly favorites of mine.
All in all, asking Barry to wear Drakkar made me feel happy and safe, unlike my 12th grade prom date. (story for another day!)
What is your favorite perfume and/or cologne?
Sound:
I set a goal of reading 45 books this year. I have almost met that goal in just 3 months. (follow me on goodreads!). Lots of people have been asking me how on earth I’ve been able to read so many books in so little time so here’s my little secret…
Audiobooks.
Not only have audiobooks been able to help me consume more content because it works better for my ADHD brain, but I must listen to said books (or podcasts or even listening to articles) on 2 or 3 times the speed. I know that sounds insane, but its ear candy and a salve for my brain. I simply cannot listen to slow cadences in speech anymore. (well, with people in conversations I can but not with content). In the spaces in between words, my brain easily wanders and drifts off into a cornucopia of my own rich inner life.
So, a 300-page book that take about 8 or 9 hours to “read” on regular speed, I can complete in about 3-4 hours. I listen while cooking, while stretching, while doing errands in the car, while doing the dishes and cleaning. I can often read 3 books in a weekend this way.
This technique has somewhat allowed me to fulfill my inexorable curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Are you an audiobook fan or do you prefer the joy of flipping actual pages and/or reading an ebook?
Touch:
Each couple has a special way that they connect to one another to show affection, trust and love. Luckily, while Barry and I are opposite in almost every other way, both of our love languages include physical touch.
Even within the realms of loving touch and intimacy, most couples have their proclivities and favorite ways that they connect through touch.
For me, it’s spooning.
The day my Father died unexpectedly in 2017, my husband spooned me the entire night.
My nervous system demanded it.
It was the only way I felt safe and remotely grounded that night and I am forever grateful that he was there and able to provide that for me. In our relationship, spooning equates absolute trust and is a gesture of pure love. For others, it may be the soft touch of a loved one playing with ones hair, or holding hands or daily massages.
For me it’s all about the spoon, which makes sense given my love of all things food and eating.
How about you? Do you give bear hugs? neck rubs? All of the above? I’d love to know.
Sight:
Old photographs.
To complete our romantic weekend, we spent time reminiscing about the early days of our marriage and how difficult it was to raise children and still maintain a strong relationship. We talked about the times we both felt unsure if we would even make it some days. It prompted us to look at our old wedding photos and the days together before we had children.
We were such babies!
Photographs capture thousands of present moments through a rear view lens. We often see smiling faces that defy what may have been simmering under the surface. Certain photographs awaken all of the senses that we experienced in that moment of time and the feelings we had including the moments of heartache and joy and can bring the taste of bittersweet nostalgia at a moment’s notice.
Many of us keep our photos digitally these days (including me) but I love to sift through my old photo albums, glide my hand on the matte surface of each photo, and check the back for a date or other important information about that photo. I like the tactile experience of flipping through memories of a certain era.
Tell me. What is rocking YOUR 5-senses this week? Comment below!