When I think about the five senses, a flood of memories come back to me.
I think about middle school, and the overwhelming smell of dollar store perfume and Axe Body Spray, slowly spreading in the halls and locker rooms. I think about the special breakfast treat my mom makes every Christmas morning. The dough and sugar that melts on your tongue makes the holiday all the more merry.
I think about my sweet rescue dogs who jump into my arms when I come home for a break and lick my tears when I’m going through heartbreak. I think about my first One Direction concert and the way my ears rang after. I think about my toddler self getting my first set of glasses, purple with a tiny bead of Princess Jasmine dangling off the side, finally being able to see clearly.
Our senses hold so much power. They fill us with emotions and memories, allowing us to feel connected to people, places, food, images, and more. They’re fickle and like to be comedians every now and then. One time when I was alone walking on campus, I got a strong whiff of an ex-boyfriend’s cologne. No one was around me. I scrunched up my nose and thought, “Huh. My senses must think they’re funny.”
For Ball Bearings’ Fall 2022 issue we wanted to remind you of just how powerful our senses are and all that they can unlock. When we were brainstorming ideas, our staff found that we all have distinct feelings that go along with a certain sense. For our managing editor, Daniela, she feels joy thinking about the smell of brownies baking in the oven. For Alex, our co-art director, he feels disgusted when thinking about the taste of cottage cheese.
As a staff, our workspace has its own set of senses entangled with memories and feelings. We get to watch the leaves fall and the sun set out the windows of the Unified Media Lab. We have the pleasure of getting to smell and taste Chick-fil-a as much as we want, thanks to the Atrium being right below our feet. We touch and tap our keyboards and mouses. We hear each other share our days, oftentimes resulting in one of my favorite sounds: laughter.
In this issue, our award-winning, student-run magazine explores concepts such as how your senses are impacted when you’re intoxicated, how PTSD can be triggered by your senses, how baby cuddlers are making a difference for newborns in the NICU and more.
Something I’ve learned is that you can trick your senses into bringing you peace. When I’m stressed or sad I like to use my senses to transport me somewhere warm and happy – the beach. I can feel the sun and sand on my skin, smell the sunscreen and saltwater in the air, and hear the waves crashing. So, use your senses and transport yourself to your happy place as you read our magazine. I hope this issue brings you nothing but happy memories full of delicious tastes, warm touches, aromatic scents, beautiful sights and sweet songs.
