The 7th Sense

I spent the last 15 minutes of my walk with my wife this week thinking there was someone following us, which is not a great look for a husband you know, particularly when I react like this….I heard a high pitch rattling noise, which had me looking over my shoulder every 20 feet or so. “Bridge,” I whispered, “you hear that?” I didn’t want to risk the follower from hearing me. “Hear what?” Well there’s a definite clang, I mumbled, “I think we’re being followed - it’s either a guy with keys or a hungry coyote wearing a bell.” Either way, I started walking briskly. Then my wife gave me the you’re an idiot look. I know this look, heck I memorized it because I see it every day or so. “Do you mean the change rattling in your pocket - is that your so-called follower?”  Ah, right, that makes sense…Sometimes losing senses like my own declining ability to sense danger, or in this case decipher danger from a bunch of quarters bouncing around my pocket, well it makes us unnecessarily anxious, even a little dumb. I mean we only have 5 senses and at least two of mine are fading for sure. But I’m told we have like 23 senses believe it or not, like chronoception, which is apparently the neurological perception of the passing of time, or probably the title to the sequel to Interstellar, which I gotta say, I just don’t get. There’s also nocipection (the perception of pain), which doctors and therapists constantly see in their patients I suspect, or maybe my favorite sense I didn’t know was a sense—equalibrioception, which is your sense of balance, of gravity, even though if you ask me it sounds more like one of those dinosaurs scientists will recreate in the lab. Balance (considered by neuroscientists to be the 7th sense) is perhaps underrated as a sense don’t you think, if not the most important one we have? I wouldn’t take it ahead of sound because then I’d be miserable without music, but I’d take it ahead of sight if I had to choose.  I realize balance in the neuroscientist sense means “physical” balance, but it inherently has a different meaning as we amble through our days. It’s balance of time, of thought. “Whole life have a balance … everything be better,” the great Mister Miyagi told Daniel in the ‘80s Karate Kid film. I suppose I take sight and sound for granted, but not balance. I know it matters to keep all the losing in perspective and keep us humble amidst the wins. I know I need the balance, just like I need a good laugh with my wife about the guy who’s following us.