It was a day when the wind seemed to whisper secrets in the ear of whoever knew how to listen to them. In a secluded corner of a leafy park, among paths that meandered like lost thoughts, Synesfrido appeared, an enigmatic being who radiated a strange calm, walking on a hidden path unseen among the trees, where the echoes of the wind intertwined with the murmurs of the leaves. His gait was not common; his steps seemed to merge as they combined with the heartbeats of nature, creating inexplicable sensations around him.
He was not the typical walker, as he did so at the rhythm of the emotions of his surroundings. He was a being that inhabited the intersection of the senses, a traveler between colors, sounds and aromas.
For Sinesfrido, every corner of the world was a melody of senses, a choreography in which everything was connected through an invisible symphony. He walked alone, although it did not seem like it, because the paths responded to his steps, and he, a traveler in the universe of synesthesias, perceived everything with an overwhelming intensity.
It was in the middle of this path that Synesfrido saw an individual sitting under a large oak tree, bewildered and somewhat dazed.
Synesfrido, always curious and connected to the energies of the senses, approached gently and spoke with a voice that mixed tones of dawn and dusk.
SYNESFRIDO
-Who are you? asked Synesfrido, stopping before him.
The individual looked at him, unable to respond immediately. I had felt his presence before I saw him.
“I’m GOVOT,” he finally answered, with a voice that seemed to vibrate with each of the senses. I perceive the world in ways that sometimes I don’t understand. Everything comes to me at once: the colors taste like fruit, the sounds caress me like the wind, and the smells… the smells paint landscapes in my mind. But I don’t know how to handle the reason part. I’m overwhelmed.
For GOVOT, the world was a sensory satisfaction; every detail flooded him with such magnitude that he could barely process it.
GOVOT, was an individual who embodied the essence of the five human senses – taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch – but in that place he found himself confused, as if the world around him were an ungovernable chaos (without direction, without government , without dominion, without direction, without regulation) or a reasonable order without control.
GOVOT
In the middle of this path, Synesfrido saw an individual sitting under a large oak tree, bewildered and somewhat dazed.
Synesfrido, always curious and connected to the energies of the senses, approached gently and spoke with a voice that mixed tones of dawn and dusk.
-Who are you? asked Synesfrido, stopping before him.
The individual looked at him, unable to respond immediately. He had felt his presence before he saw him.
“I’m GOVOT,” he finally answered, with a voice that seemed to vibrate with each of the senses. I perceive the world in ways that sometimes I don’t understand. Everything comes to me at once: the colors taste like fruit, the sounds caress me like the wind, and the smells… the smells paint landscapes in my mind. But I don’t know how to handle the reason part. I’m overwhelmed.
For GOVOT, the world was a sensory satisfaction; every detail flooded him with such magnitude that he could barely process it.
GOVOT, was an individual who embodied the essence of the five human senses – taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch – but in that place he found himself confused, as if the world around him were an ungovernable chaos (without direction, without government , without dominion, without direction, without regulation) or a reasonable order without control.
Synesfrido, understanding his new companion’s dilemma, smiled calmly. He knew exactly what he had to do.
—My name is Synesfrido. And get used to walking through this and other forests. What you need, GOVOT, is to walk.
-Walk? GOVOT asked, confused. How could walking help me order all this chaos dominated by reason?
—You know, GOVOT? —Synesfrido told him, knowingly. The senses you carry with you are waiting to be awakened. But for that, you need to walk. Only the movement of the body awakens the movement of perception. Why don’t you start walking? The senses respond to the step, and each way of walking brings them a different gift.
GOVOT, a little bewildered, looked up and asked without much conviction:
-Walk? And what will that change in me, Synesfrido?
“Because walking is not just moving your feet, my friend,” Synesfrido responded with a deep look. It is the most natural way in which human beings connect sensorially with the world. When you walk, you give a rhythm to your senses. You synchronize them, you distribute them. And if you walk in certain ways, you can experience your senses in ways you never imagined.
GOVOT frowned, intrigued but still doubtful.
Synesfrido smiled, his eyes shining with a gleam that held more than words could say.
“I propose a challenge to you,” said Synesfrido, extending his hand. Let’s walk together. But not in any way. I will show you how walking can awaken true sensory harmony in you.
—Walk slowly, as if time were lengthening before you. Close your eyes, GOVOT. If you dare to take a few steps in the darkness of your own senses, touch will awaken first. You will feel the texture of the ground under your feet, as if each step were a secret conversation between you and the earth. You may notice a breeze caressing your face, and without needing to see, the wind will tell you the direction of its travel.
GOVOT stood up, accepting Synesfrido’s hand.
Intrigued, GOVOT let Synesfrido guide him.
The two began to walk, and Synesfrido guided him towards a series of unique experiences.
First, they walked slowly, almost in slow motion. GOVOT’s steps were slow and cautious at first. Immediately, he noticed how the air played with his skin, and his body, which until then had been a mere structure, began to feel.
GOVOT began to notice how the touch of each blade of grass under his feet felt different, like a delicate caress. The wind caressed her skin as if it were wrapping her thoughts in velvet. “Touch,” GOVOT murmured, marveling.
Then, Synesfrido told him to walk with his eyes closed. At first, he hesitated, but soon, his hearing sharpened, perceiving the rustling of leaves, the distant song of a bird, the sound of the river in the background. It was as if the world spoke to him through sounds, a harmonious melody that he had not heard with such clarity and harmony.
Later, Synesfrido suggested that he walk backward. GOVOT, bewildered, agreed, and immediately felt the smells that had gone unnoticed begin to come to life. The earthy aroma of wet leaves, the sweet perfume of nearby flowers, and the freshness of the humidity-laden air enveloped him in a whirlwind of olfactory sensations.
Finally, Synesfrido proposed something even more daring.
“Take this notebook,” he said, handing him a small pad and a pencil. While you walk, write. Write what you feel, what you perceive, without stopping.
GOVOT obeyed, and as he moved forward, the pencil moved on its own, guided by something deeper. As he walked and wrote, flavors revealed themselves to him: he could “taste” the sweet bitterness of the air, the metallic taste of the sun on his skin, and the cool touch of morning dew.
When they finally stopped, GOVOT was exhausted, but filled with a new range of sensory (synaesthetic) experiences.
—Do you see it? said Synesfrido, smiling. Walking has allowed you to synchronize and harmonize your senses, it has given you a rhythm. Now you can live in harmony with what you perceive. Walk, GOVOT, because it is the only path to true synesthesia, to true connection.
GOVOT gratefully agreed. He didn’t feel too dazed anymore. Now he understood that walking would help him strengthen his path towards sensory balance.
The day had turned into a serene evening, with the sky painted in shades of purple and orange, and as the two friends walked away down the path, Synesfrido knew that he had planted the seed of something greater: the wisdom of walking, of reading the world through the senses, writing about it, and drawing it with each step taken.
This meeting between Sinesfrido and GOVOT reminds us that walking not only takes us to a physical destination, but also awakens and harmonizes the senses.
Dear reader, whatever your pace, whether slow or fast, with your eyes closed or drawing in a notebook, let your feet take you to experience the world in new and extraordinary ways!
Let your steps take you further than your thoughts and imagination can take you.