Friday, December 21, 2007

Making Sense(s) of It All!

Okay - here's the deal. In one of the polls to the right, entitled "I am excited because I will get to eat birthday cake," I ask readers of Thinkwriter to name which of 4 senses Rosemary uses most often to experience her world, based on her earliest memory.

In the reprint of Rosemary's memory below, please note (in parentheses) the names of the senses she does use. Also added is the fifth sense (gustatory), even though it was not a part of the poll. By counting the times each of five senses is used, we can clearly "see" that Rosemary visually experiences her world....at least primarily, with kinesthetic falling close behind.

Check it out.

However, also note that "how" Rosemary experiences her world is NOT her worldview. It is not her her point of perspective, her "knowing fingerprint," her predeterminded optic view, if you will. No, "how" she experiences her world is not her "come from."
So, let's take our time and look at what might be her worldview. A new poll to the right asks you to name what you believe Rosemary's worldview to be (note: the poll has now been taken down - but read the post on 12/28/07 to learn more). Remember it is her knowing fingerprint, the point of reference indelible on everything she experiences, creates, touches, or also encounters...and more. Wow!


Birthday Boomerang
by Rosemary
It’s Mom’s birthday, August 12th. I am excited (kinesthetic), because I will get to eat birthday cake (gustatory/olfactory)!

I’m with Mom in her bedroom. She is putting on her makeup (visual)… bright blue frosty eye shadow (visual), the same color she put on me for my dance recital in May ("visualizing"). I lie on her bed (kinesthetic) and watch (visual). The bedspread is in blues and greens with big flowers (visual). It feels cool on my bare arms and legs (kinesthetic).

I hear Daddy come in the back door (auditory). I get up and run to the kitchen (kinesthetic). He has a white box in his hands (visual) that he places on the table (visual). He opens up the box (visual), and I peer inside (visual/kinesthetic)Mom’s birthday cake! Creamy white icing with big red roses and fancy writing (visual).

He whispers, “Don’t tell Mom…. It’s a surprise.” (auditory) I nod in agreement (kinesthetic), but I’m not really listening.

I run to Mom’s bedroom (kinesthetic), and she is putting on her lipstick (visual). Before I can stop myself, I blurt out (kinesthetic), “Daddy has a surprise for you! It’s a cake!” Daddy walks in (visual) as I am speaking – disappointment on his face (visual), his brow furrowed (visual) I know (kinesthetic) I am in big trouble.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw "opening" the box as kinesthetic. Dance recital as kinesthetic.Maybe I need to "google" to redefine my definition of kinesthetic.

Candis said...

Jenny,
Love that you are "on top of this." Here's the deal - Rosemary is watching the box being opened - ("He opens the box" - referring to her dad, "and I peer inside." She is not opening the box herself; however, "peer (look) inside" should also be kinesthetic, so I will add kinesthetic to what is already there (visual)....

Am I following you correctly on this?

...and the "dance recital" is a memory in a memory - so I didn't count it; however, remembering the recital would be a visualization for her...though again, you could argue that "at the time of the recital," it was indeed kinesthetic. Does this make sense? Thank you for commenting!

Hey - What about her worldview?

Captainwow said...

So........ what does this mean. This memory is a highly visual one, does that mean that Rosemary is a highly visual person? I have memories from childhood very early ones that are highly visual. In fact, I can see mouths moving but I can't hear anything in these memories. I either could not hear because of my ear issues (I had many) or else that was simply not important so I don't remember it.

Other memories are big on smell or sounds or physical sensations... it just depends on the memory.

Should I be able to tell something from this particular story about Rosemary?
just wonderin

Candis said...

Captainwow,
Yes, it is possible to know A LOT about Rosemary from her early memory - more than I will have time/space to fill when I write about it in the next few days....(and this is true for everyone's earliest memories). However, as someone has said, "the skillful gathering, interpretation, and explication of a [person's] early recollections is a valued art....," one, I might add, that can take years to develop. Bottom line... Memory is never random.