“No goosebumps!” I had nibbled on the nape of my wife’s neck, knowing what her response would be.
“No goosebumps?” I feigned surprise. “What would life be without goosebumps?” She giggled. I thought, that was a good line. There must be an article in it somewhere. So, what WOULD life be without goosebumps?
Boring is the first word that comes to my mind in a world without goosebumps. I don’t get them every day, or even every week, but I’ll bet I average more than once a month.
The biggest set of goosebumps I ever experienced was when I saw my oldest daughter for the first time. The world closed in around the two of us. I saw her in a tunnel of concentration. I knew she had just made us a family and that she would now be a part of our lives forever. It filled me with both excitement and wonder. The goosebumps were big enough to count. Actually, I think they were big enough to name!
Sunsets give me goosebumps, especially on the West Coast of Florida over the Gulf of Mexico. That could be because that is what I am most familiar with. However, I don’t believe that. Usually familiarity causes disinterest over time. The spectacle that Nature provides hundreds of times per year can treat your eyes to the shear beauty of color. On my 1 to 10 goosebump scale, they rate a solid 8.
The moment of discovery gives me goosebumps; my discovery, or recognizing the genius of someone else’s discovery. It can be the discovery of a latent talent. It can be the discovery of something believed lost. It can be the continuous discovery that a commitment to lifelong learning provides.
Walking my daughters down the aisle at their weddings gave me goosebumps. Meeting their children, our grandchildren, for the first time gave me a big case of goosebumps.
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and several other pieces of classical music have the power to cause a case of the goosebumps each time I listen to them. The National Anthem when sung or played with feeling and intensity gives me goosebumps every time. I love to sing it too.
Recounts of acts of heroism give me goosebumps. They remind me of the best in people. They encourage me to be better and to do better myself.
What gives you goosebumps? Is it beauty, human experiences, music and heroism like me? Or, is it something else? Think about it if for a few minutes. Then answer for yourself, “What would it be like in a world without goosebumps?”
Tim O’Brien writes continuing-education courses and presents seminars on stress management. Readers may write to him at 3023 Shannon Lakes Dr., No. 102, Tallahassee, Fla. 32309, or send e-mail to ism@hyperstress.com. He also has a Web site at www.hyperstress.com.
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