Out and About – Week of April 13th

The last time I checked, we humans have five senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. If you were to count “common”, that would be six. “Common” is probably the one sense that most of us are missing, and that is a shame.
If I had to give up one of the other five, it would be a very difficult decision to make, because I rely on all of them in order to get by. Lately, I’ve been working with individuals who have lost their sense of sight, so that is the one sense with which I am most familiar. However, in this column, I’d like to mention briefly the sense of smell. Perhaps I’ll write about the other senses in upcoming weeks.
We were enjoying breakfast out recently, when I sensed the aroma of fresh toast. I mentioned this to my wife, and she commented as to how nice it is when I go downstairs first in the morning and fix a bowl of cereal and make some toast. She said that it was nice to smell the toast as it came out of the toaster. She could smell it, even though she was upstairs and I was down in the kitchen. It was, to her, a nice smell to wake up to.
I’m pretty sure we all have our favorite aromas. The smell of cooking bacon, or brewing coffee are two of my favorite. The smell of autumn leaves burning is pleasant to me, although we aren’t permitted to experience that smell if we live within the city limits. Back in the day, the smell of burning leaves was a sign that the season was changing from summer to fall.
There are individuals who have lost their sense of smell. If I had to give up one of the senses, the sense of smell would probably be the one that I’d let go. I hope I never have to give up my common sense. Some say that I already have lost that one.
I am a certified Hunter Safety Instructor. I haven’t assisted with a Hunter Safety Class in several years due to my busy schedule, but the last time I did assist, one of the chapters I dealt with was “Ethics”. I reminded the students that being ethical is doing the right thing, even though no one is around to witness your actions. Ethics is something that we should all be more aware of. Here are six Ethics of Life:
Before you pray, believe.
Before you speak, listen.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you write, think.
Before you quit, try.
Before you die, live.
If we all would concentrate on just a couple of these, our lives might actually change a little, and I’m sure we would notice some improvement. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to think a little more before I write about something. There comes a time when we should just agree to disagree.
Baseball season is now officially upon us. I probably won’t take in any major league games, because I’m retired and living on a fixed income. I’m not even sure what it costs to attend a game at Comerica Park or Wrigley Field. I do know that all Little League games are FREE and just as entertaining.
A few more things from my friend Andy Rooney:
“I’ve learned that just one person saying to me, ‘You’ve made my day!’ makes my day.”
“I’ve learned that having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.”
“I’ve learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.”

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman