Just wait ’til I get my hands on you!
That statement can either strike fear into your heart or make you breathless with anticipation. It depends on who’s saying it and why.
This week is the second in a five-part series from my Sabbatical journey on re-engaging our five senses to make sense out of life.
This week’s focus: Don’t just touch; really feel.
My Sabbatical renewal journey is including a significant amount of reading. I’m planning on reading one book per week. I normally don’t read at that pace because of everything else that’s going on in my life, but this month will be different. I can read at a leisurely pace and spend the time reading that I normally spend on email, text messages, social media, and phone conversations.
Another difference is that I’ll be reading real paper books. Unplugging from electronic devices means no eBooks or audiobooks. I will have my hands on paper and will have to turn every page. I’ll use a real pen to underline meaningful passages and write in the margins. As much as I absolutely LOVE the electronic methods, there is something uniquely wonderful about the feel of a good book in your hands.
I’m also keeping a handwritten journal of my Sabbatical journey. I bought a special leather-bound journal just for this purpose. I took it out of the box and took the protective cover off when I arrived at the retreat cabin last week. So many of my notes and memos are typically recorded in an iPhone app. Touching pen to paper brings about a new kind of reflection.
The most important part of making sense through touch this week will come on Sunday. It’s Mothers Day and I’m actually going to spend it with my Mom. I always call her on special days and I try to talk to her at least once a week, but we haven’t actually been in the same room with each other in several months. And my full-time “church work” for the past 34 years has made Mothers Day in-person visits exceptionally rare.
As a dad and now a grandpa, I know how important it is to be able to actually put our hands on our kids and our grandkids. A voice over the phone or face on the computer screen is wonderful, but it can’t take the place of a hug, a caress, a lap snuggle, a kiss. I won’t put my big ol’ 200+ pounds in my little mama’s lap, but the rest of those will happen for sure on this Mothers Day.
Our sense of touch is not just about discerning hot or cold or rough or smooth. It’s not just about physical contact, but about intimate connection. Sadly, our culture tends to equate intimacy with sexual contact—and that is certainly one kind of intimacy—but appropriate touch has the potential for deep connections, not only between lovers, but between parents and children, and between close friends.
A handshake, pat on the back, or punch in the arm can express a deep connection when both parties understand the feeling behind the touch.
Life Matters, friends. Who do you need to get your hands on this week?
