August21

My 5 Favorite Touches

This is the fourth in a series of 5 blog posts that talk about my favorite things in regards to my senses. Yeah, it's a bit dorky, but just go with it.

"Don't touch it." That's the chorus from one of my favorite rap songs ever. MC Hammer was a great rapper perfect money manager delight to have around for my teen years – if only because he gave us the "Addams Groove" and, more recently, those incredible Cash4Gold.com commercials. But enough about Mr. Hammer, let's talk about the sense of touch and how it relates to me (Seth Gunderson).

I think that touch is one of my favorite senses (yes, I know, it had a one in five chance). I love touching things. If my mom were to ever read my blog, I wonder if she would tell you if I really enjoyed those books as a kid where you touch different things whilst reading the book. Additionally, I wonder if in-betwixt reading different books ... yeah, I'm not even going to finish that sentence. I just wanted to see if I could say 'whilst' and 'in-betwixt' in back-to-back sentences. Now I can check that off of my bucket list.

So what are 5 of my favorite touches? You're in luck, all you have to do is keep reading. And, as a gentile reminder, these are not ranked in any order. I promise. But #1 is important.

5. New Socks
Who doesn't like how new socks envelop your feet? That's right, everyone (even weirdos that wear socks with Crocs). But, now tell me who enjoys receiving new socks as a gift? That's right, no one (even weirdos that wear socks with Birkenstocks). Now, can anyone suggest to me why it's extremely hilarious to put a sock on your hand and make them talk like they're a puppet? You can't, can you? Know why? Me either. You're REALLY letting me down on this one. Do some research and stop screwing around on blogs.

4. Flannel Sheets
When it's cold outside (like when it's winter time), I'm not one to keep the house super warm. I hate being really hot in a house (being hot outside is different), I'd rather dress warmly than turn the heat up. The main reason why – flannel sheets. There's nothing like wrapping up in bed with some flannel sheets. Okay, putting on new socks (see above) is fairly similar, but that's only your feet. This is your entire body. Well, except your head and maybe your arms and/or hands. And maybe one of your legs if you're a hot sleeper. And if you're a hot sleeper, might I suggest not using flannel sheets in conjunction with your comforter/blankets? I know the intention is good, but you're really asking for night sweats. And you think your pillows are gross enough already.

3. Clothes on Clothing Racks
I can't tell you the number of times my mother (that's the second mom reference, if you're counting) told me to "stop touching the clothes" as we walked through Sears.* If you need help imagining what I was doing, just pretend you're walking in between clothes racks with your arms extended and allowing them to touch every piece of clothing that you walk by. It's. Really. Cool. Try it the next time you're in a store and then you can replace your imagined thoughts with a real-life scenario. And if you're wondering what my official stance is on Virtual Reality vs. Real-Life Experience, I'll tell you – real-life wins every time (unless you're wanting to walk on Mars, ride a velociraptor or make the world go backwards like Superman did in Superman).

2. Scalp-tingles from Shampoos/Conditioners
Having someone shampoo your hair almost got the nod here. But I'll one-up it by giving the honor to shampoos and conditioners that make your scalp tingle. I'm not talking about acid. That would hurt. And it might actually be opposite from a good sensation. Let's just try and focus on the things that make your scalp feel good, not rot away entirely. We might be happier in the long run if we do.

1. Hugs
Bar-none, there's nothing better in this world than a hug. It's the power of touch rolled into an expression of love and extreme care. If you haven't seen it already, go check out the Free Hugs Campaign because it's amazing. There's something so incredible about a hug that it's hard to put into words, but I'll try: SuperCoolAndReallyBadAssButNotWeirdAndAlwaysAGoodThingToDoIfYou'reHappyOrSadOrJustWantToFeelAliveAndSmileAfterwards. I've said it somewhere before, but if you ever want a hug, I'm your guy. And if you think that's weird and you want to make fun of me, that's cool, we can hug it out afterwards – and then we can talk about how you probably weren't hugged enough as a child. And let's dispense with sissy hugs. If you're gonna hug someone, do it and mean it. That last bit of advice was free. The next one will be hundreds of dollars.

There you have it. Those are my five. What are your favorite touches? (Yeah, I thought that sounded creepy, too.)

* I say Sears because that's really the only department store I remember getting in trouble at. I'm 100% positive I did this in other stores, but Sears sticks in my head. Here's to hoping the Sears Blue Crew is reading this and will give me some % of all sales due to my linking to Sears.

+ original post date: August 21, 2011 10:37 PM
+ categories: Seth's Senses