My Favorite Question

So this is going to be the second time I write this. This subject is one of the two articles I wrote a few years back when I first came up with the idea for this blog. I debated going back into my files just to copy and paste it here, but dare I say, I think I might be feeling a little more inspirational this time. So gather round, children. It’s story time.

We all have five senses, right? Smell, sight, taste, hearing, and touch. I know that they say there are more than just five, but I’m keeping this elementary level. Plus, vestibular and proprioception don’t sound as sexy as the others, now, do they? We use these every day and probably take them for granted because we’re so used to just having them. We should be cherishing every second we have them, though, since some people are missing one, if not more. You’re probably thinking of them in your head, so now ask yourself, what’s your favorite of each? And I don’t mean what’s your favorite out of the five. I mean, what’s your favorite smell, touch, sound, taste, and sight, and why? That’s my favorite question.

I’d love to tell you there’s some big, sophisticated story about how I came up with this question that I’ve asked many a person, but there isn’t. To be honest, I came up with it because I had a super crush on a co-worker at a job I had started at the time. I had told her that the question was to see how much she appreciated the little things, even though it was really just a slick way for me to find out what she liked. Regardless, the explanation I gave her is still true, and I believe it can gauge how much you appreciate the little things, if not remind you of them. I’ve asked countless friends this because I liked the question so much. When I do ask, I always tell them to take their time and ask if they’d like me to go first. When either of the two happens, if not both, you can see the change in their eyes that takes them from going the vanilla route of saying something like “I like music!” to seeing the wheels churn as they start sifting through moments and memories searching for the perfect answer. This usually ends with an “I need more time,” which gets me even more excited to hear their answer. You’re probably thinking now of what your favorites are, so I ask you, too. What’s your favorite sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound, and why? But first, take your time… and I’ll go first.

I think I’ve written out the senses about three times in this post so far, and all three have been in different orders, so I’m not about to get my act together now.

First up to bat is taste. If you know me, you’ll know that I like anything watermelon-flavored. It’s just that flavor that always keeps me coming back for more. It’s always the Dum Dum that I wouldn’t dare bite down on so I could savor every bit of it. It’s the Jolly Rancher that I’d search for minutes for through the baskets neighbors would leave outside during Halloween. Above all, nothing beats a nice big slice of the freshest, juiciest watermelon. It’s the epitome of what you look for on a hot summer day. The taste of that slice also brings back memories of times when you didn’t have to worry about bills, relationships, or what you were going to do with life. Just how am I going to clean this off my face, and who’s got next on the court? One thing before I move on, though. Watermelon drinks suck. They taste like trash, in my opinion. I don’t mean drinks made with real watermelon juice—I mean more like sodas and juices. They don’t taste like watermelon, but there have been quite a few things that have been hitting in the past few years. I’m looking at you, endless varieties of hard seltzers.

My favorite touch is simple. It’s water. No melon. It’s as easy as that. I just love the feel of water, no matter what way or form. I’m notorious for just taking a shower and then just sitting on the floor for god knows how long or until my father banged on the door, just because it felt amazing. I can’t swim for the life of me, but I still get in the water even if I do look like a lost walrus. It’s going to sound weird, but the next time you get a chance, let your hand sit under some running water and just leave it. Take it in. Close your eyes. Pay attention to what you’re feeling. There’s just something about the feel of water that is so calming, which is beautiful to me, given how violent it can also be.

Water also plays a part in my favorite smell, too. Now, this is going to seem out of the ordinary when I explain it, but that’s the point of this, isn’t it? To find the little thing. Close your eyes and let me take you on a journey… Actually, don’t. I still need you to read this. Now, imagine you’re sitting in your room, and all of a sudden, a wonderful afternoon shower starts. The rain is just hitting the right amount of pressure. You go up and open your window to let the cool breeze inside and to listen to the sound of the rain. After you do, you push your face up to the window screen to take it all in, and you take a whiff. And that’s it. That’s my favorite smell. I was born in Boston but grew up in Kissimmee, Florida. Just right outside of the Orlando/Disney area for those not hip to K-Town. When most people think of Florida, they think of beautiful summer days and that Floridians are crazy, given all of the Florida man memes and things we’re in the news for. Well, only one of those things is wrong, and I’m here to tell you it’s not the memes. It rains almost every day during the summer in Florida. Sometimes for the whole day or sometimes just for an hour. Hell, I’ve seen it rain literally on only half of someone’s yard because Florida rain doesn’t care if your grass is uneven. But growing up, I used to love the rain, and when it did, I would put my window up, unintentionally get close to the window, and just take it all in for a bit. And there is just a distinct smell that has stuck with me ever since. A combination of the freshly dropped rain and the metallic scent from whatever window screens are made of. I don’t know if Bath and Body Works make a candle called “Wet Window Screen,” but they’d have a lifelong fan if they ever did.

After the rain has fallen, my sound kicks in. Two things to note at the moment first. 1. I don’t think I’m doing too bad with my segues so far, right?! And 2. I’m just now realizing that water plays a big part in my favorites so far. But anyway, after the rain has fallen, the sun has set, and the dew is still clinging for life on the blades of grass, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get a free concert. I don’t know if it’s just a Florida thing or if this happens everywhere, but when it rains, sometimes you hear all the frogs ribbit for hours, and that is my favorite sound. I used to look forward to when it would rain at night because I knew I was in for a symphony of croaks and ribbits. It makes sense why this stuck with me now that I’m older; I can’t stand it when it’s quiet. Even if I’m home, whether I’m doing something or not, I’ll just turn on the TV for some background noise. I have my record player playing lo-fi music right now as I’m writing this. I’m still trying to figure out why I do this and why I can’t be left in silence, but it’s to the point where I sleep with rain noise in the background. But before I had a phone that I could just press play on for the night, I was getting rocked to sleep by my favorite sound, sung by countless friends I didn’t know I had.

Here we are at the last sense, sight. Given that all of my previous favorites had to do with water in some way, I’m sure many of you are thinking that my sight is probably a rainy day or the ocean, but it isn’t. My favorite sight is a clear sky, regardless of whether it’s during the day or night. I’m surprised that I haven’t run into a tree more often, as I can’t tell you how many times I go outside when there’s a clear blue sky and just look up when I walk. I did it even more living in Chicago and now Seattle because I walk so much, and it’s something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of. It’s the perfect blue and is always what I need for a pick-me-up. I love a clear night sky just as much, though. It’s harder to enjoy now that I live in the city, but there’s just something enthralling about seeing all the stars in the sky and the moon shining as bright as the sun in front of a pitch-black sky. When I was younger, some of my cousins and I would hang out at what we called the “Darkside.” It sounds cool, but it was literally just a dead end down the street of my parents’ house. This dead end didn’t have any streetlights, though, which made it perfect to see the night sky. We would bring a bottle, go and park our cars there, all pile up in the car with the sunroof, and just sit and talk about life and take in everything the view had to offer. I’ve had some great times there, and I just recall looking at the sky in between conversations and how it represented all the endless possibilities that life had in store.

As they say, all good things must come to an end, and this is the end of my favorite question. It’s weird. I’ve asked this question many times in my life, and as I mentioned earlier, I’ve written this before, but this time, I feel like I’ve learned more about myself. Like the connections between my favorites or how some of them foreshadowed my habits even to this day. I can honestly say that I love the question even more than ever now. I hope the people I’ve asked this to over the years have enjoyed it and have gotten as much out of it as I have… but now it’s your turn. Hopefully you’ve taken your time. Hopefully you’ve heard mine and thought a little harder. So now I ask once more… What’s your favorite touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound, and why?