The sense of touch is an amazing thing! It is one of the five human senses and anything that appeals to any of these senses, we are immediately drawn to it. Who does not enjoy a beautiful scene of nature? Who does not enjoy their favorite genre of music? Who does not enjoy the smell and the taste of their favorite dish? Incidentally, trying to listen if I hear any noises of pots or pans as I am writing this post. From the time of infancy, we are born with the innate desire to touch for the purpose of soothing our emotions. From teddy bears to anything that is comforting to the nervous system. Remember the American cartoon strip Peanuts where Linus caries a security blanket for comfort everywhere he went? And of course, this sensation carries over to us as adults. From hugging our pet to being drawn what we wear such silk, cashmere, and the lustrous fiber of alpaca.
I really enjoyed my visit with my guest this week who owns and manages a ranch of 500 flock of alpacas in Colorado and was gracious enough to tell us how the alpaca come to be in North America. Jane Levene explained what constitutes a highly quality alpaca garment. The litmus test is to stroke the article of garment with your hand and if it does not have any resistance whatsoever, in other words, your hand slides smoothly over the article, you have found a quality fiber to be proud of and worth acquiring. The alpaca is livestock, however, hardly like cattle since they are entirely different in disposition and the care is much easier to manage. The alpaca comes from the Andes Mountains which the average elevation is around 12,000 feet of which it straddles Peru, Costa Rica and among other countries in South America. The principal use of the animal is for its beautiful coat, originally, strictly for those of high prominence. They have interesting and funny characteristics such as when being transported they sit down as if saying, "sit down girls, let us enjoy the ride." On her 120-acre ranch, she is also a super host to those staying at her B&B. I was touched when she invited us to visit, and I just may take her up on her word. So, we must ask ourselves, how important is touch? Did you know that psychologist refer to something as (touch starved?)? It is a real thing. Over the two and half years, many have been starving for the human touch. From birth to the day we die, we have the propensity for the need of physical contact. Psychologist also call the syndrome as skin hunger or touch deprivation, and this occurs when an individual experiences little or no touch from other living things. Probably explains a high record of pet adoptions during the COVID isolation. Does this only relate to sensual touch? Of course not! We want to induce oxytocin, also known as the (love hormone.) At the earliest opportunity, give someone a warm handshake, a pat on the back, a hug, at minimum, reach out and touch someone with a loving phone call.
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