The Art Of Smelling

The Art Of Smelling (S-Vision):
The term S-Vision is being used for the type of smelling used in Outdoor Eyes since smelling is directly related to seeing. When a smell is detected, there is usually an object related to that smell such as an orange peel, a pine forest, the salt air on the beach or a small stagnant pond in the woods. You can visualize the object or place when a certain smell is detected in the air. So, as you can see, smelling is definitely related to seeing.
 
One of our least used senses is smelling. Over the years we have subconsciously repressed most of our sense of smell due to the pollution that has permeated our society. Here's where your challenge begins. How do you return to be able to use your sense of smell the way it was intended to be used? The first step is to always breathe deeply through your nostrils instead of your mouth. Obviously, when you breathe through your mouth, you smell nothing. "Breathe through your mouth and you won't smell anything" our mother used to say to us when we drove by a sewage treatment plant. It always worked and we continue to use that method to this day.
 
The First Step:
The first step is to learn how to smell again and not feel that every time you breath that a terrible odor will be inhaled. Nature has wonderful smells and once you breath normally again, you will notice the smells of nature. Go outside in your backyard and take deep breaths. What do you smell? Can you identify any of the trees, shrubs or flowers just by the smell? Can you tell the direction that the smells are coming from? If you close your eyes, can you picture your backyard based on the smells?
 
What You Trying To Accomplish:
Picture this situation. You are on vacation at the beach and you decide to go into the town. The small town has little gift shops, food shops, restaurants and side streets. You start walking down the street, looking into a few of the shops, and then you start to sense a very familiar smell of chocolate permeating the town. You know exactly what to expect. You picture a small candy shop with a large chocolate vat in the window. Someone is stirring the chocolate with a wooden paddle and is getting ready to cool the chocolate so it may be used for making candy. You also picture shinny glass cabinets full of numerous choices of chocolate candy. You follow the smell and low and behold, it is exactly as you pictured it. You saw using your T-Vision. By interpreting the smell, you were able to paint a picture. Imagine if you could do this when you had a nature opportunity! By learning to identify recognizable smells in different situations, you will increase your nature experiences. What smells were present when you saw the deer? What smells were present when you saw the snapping turtles?
 
How The Five Senses Relate To Nature:
There is a tremendous amount of information to remember about the nature when experiencing the outdoors. The easiest way to learn is by using all of your five senses. If you happen to capture some great nature moments, use your five senses to remember that moment and all the elements around you. You can never forget the smell of that great beach day with the ever present salty air (S-Vision). You can never forget that great beach day when you packed a perfect lunch (T-Vision). You can never forget that great beach day when you listened to crashing waves on the shore (H-Vision). And you will never forget that great beach day when at the end of the day you watched the perfect sunset (P-Vision). Now use all the same senses and techniques to remember a nature moment. What was the weather like? How does the day feel? What time was it? What does the day smell like? Are there flower smells in the air? What does the dirt beneath your feet feel like? Take all your senses and use them to capture your nature moment. You will be able to recall those feelings much better than trying to remember every technical and scientific name of every plant, tree, wildflower or cloud around you. Now, whenever you explore a new area, dig into the memory banks of your five senses to produce a gut feeling about what nature moment might exist. And if your gut feeling indicates that a nature moment may exist, GET READY. You won't be disappointed!