The Sixth Sense

No, I haven’t started seeing dead people. I think there’s another “sixth sense,” and I’ve been pondering it since Tuesday.

Tuesday was one of those days that just made me glad to be alive, made me realize what a gift it is to be who I am, where I am, doing what I’m doing. I attribute much of that attitude to the weather. The sun was shining, there were just a few spots of cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky, and it was a balmy 78 degrees. I spent the hour and a half or so between work and small group in Adams Park, this historical square block of thoughtfully landscaped earth in the heart of downtown Wheaton. I settled myself on a bench under a tree and just drank in my environs, focusing on each of my senses in turn: the feel of lush grass beneath my un-sandalled feet and the cool breeze that kept throwing my hair in my face…the sound of children playing, the fountain running, cars passing…the intoxicating scent of lilacs on a bush nearby…the sight of the sun playing on the leaves of the tree above me, giving them almost a stained glass-like appearance…and last but not least, the lingering taste of chips and salsa, my quickly consumed afternoon snack.

For those few moments on that bench, I gave myself up to my senses, as though what I experienced through them was all that existed at that point in time. Thinking about it later, though, I realized that Tuesday afternoon’s experience would have been impossible without a sixth sense. I could have very well physically experienced all of the same sensations yesterday, and yet have been dull to some or all of them. I imagine some of the people who passed by me yesterday were completely unaware of the fountain’s gurgle or the grassy carpet beneath them. How often we hear but neglect to listen. How often things pass before our eyes that we fail to really see.

My experience in the park could have, would have been completely different had my heart not been engaged—my sixth sense. Or if my heart were not made gloriously and miraculously alive by Christ. It is this sixth sense, this heart alive, that allows my experience in the body to transcend my senses. Beyond what I can feel, hear, smell, see, and taste, there is a whole other realm…the realm of the spirit, the realm of the eternal. What enables me to find so much enjoyment in the simple things of a park is that I know that there’s nothing at all simple about the way leaves draw life from the sun or the way lilacs know when to bloom each Spring, and yet I have a personal relationship with the One who created them. It’s one thing to view and appreciate a masterpiece, but it’s quite another to be intimate with the Artist, to view the creation in light of the Creator.

If my heart is my sixth sense, then it follows that my sense of place in this world is directly affected by the state of my heart at any given moment. Is my heart at peace? Is there joy in my heart? Contentment? Thankfulness? Praise? Wonder? Or is it ridden with anxiety? Doubt? Resentment? Exhaustion?

The phrase “sensory overload” exists for a reason. If we were not able to block out certain aspects of our environment in any given moment, we’d go mad. But I wonder if we gave more thought to our sixth sense, allowed it to get a little exercise, if it might grow stronger with time, allowing us to more fully experience our world without being overwhelmed by it.

I was just thinking.

Dolled up for Suzanne's Shower 

Lovely Ladies

The weekend of April 22-24 the lovely ladies of Third Gerig's Class of 2002 converged on Indy for the 3rd Annual 3G'02 Reunion, hosted this year by Becca and "the other" Suzanne. The weekend's festivities included a pamper party, preparing and partaking of meals together, drinks and desserts at Rick's Boat Yard (a favorite from our Taylor days), lots of talking and catching up on each other's lives, and a surprise (well, short of) bridal shower for Suzanne (front and center in the pink tiara-adorned cowboy hat), newly engaged to our dear friend Barrett.

Whenever I get together with these girls--or even think about all of them--I realize anew that I am blessed beyond measure to have these gorgeous, intelligent, fun, and godly women in my life. I was picking up a book last week at a Christian bookstore here in town, and as she was helping me locate an item, one of the sales girls asked me if I went to Taylor. It took me a second to make the connection between her question and my Taylor t-shirt, but I quickly and enthusiastically confirmed my alma mater, and learned that she's headed to Upland in the fall. Fresh off the reunion, I launched into a little advice, whether she wanted it or not.

"You're going to meet some incredible people at Taylor. Get to know them. Invest in them. Open yourself to them. Dig deep, establish roots, feed your friendships with love and time and prayer and tears and crazy adventures. And when you leave that place, you'll have a set of friends for life."

Serenity Amidst Activity...Or, "I love the sound of jackhammers in the morning."

Inspired by a blog post by my dear friend Heather and thankful for the Starbucks giftcard I received in the mail last week (Becca, you rock!), I decided to grab a Mocha Valencia (my new favorite) and spend some time with Jesus in the park this morning before work. As I drove from my apartment down to Wheaton, I entertained romantic thoughts of cozy park benches, blossom-laden trees, and a bubbling fountain offering a serene environment in which to be still and know in the cool of the morning. Wheaton Public Works had other things in mind. I did successfully pick up my mocha and stroll until I found a bench near a tulip tree whose petals were intermitently fluttering to the ground, but the playful gurgle of the fountain, not 20 feet away, was completely drowned out by a cacophany of construction machines--a jackhammer to the south, a big truck spewing cement for the library addition to the east, a dumptruck to the north...initially eliminating all hopes for the peaceful ambiance I had looked forward to. But as I sat there, looking around and trying to drink in the park's beauty with my eyes even as I tried to tune out the noise, I thought how much like life this is. The world never seems to take the hint and stop or slow down just because I want some peace and quiet. The flurry of activity goes on, and even though it's my first inclination, God's not calling me to flee from it all--if so, I'd pretty much have to take up residence in the hills. Instead, this morning I felt like God was reminding me of a lesson I have been very slow to learn over the past few years--how to be still in the midst of a frenzied society...to make the choice to quiet my spirit and cease my strivings even while the world hurries on around me...especially while the world hurries on.

Father, thanks for your great patience with this child, and for a few moments of serenity amidst the activity.