February's Theme is Touch

Our February theme is Touch, chosen by our Lisbon chapter and illustrated by Emma Lopes.

Across the years when we had to stay apart to keep one another safe, skin hungered for the sensation of being pressed against another. The longing for touch was deeply felt.

How will you stay in contact with the electric matter that keeps us alive? What will pass through your hands today?

We asked you, what role does touch play in your life? How do you create touch, either as a sensory experience or an emotional effect? Here’s what you shared:

🖐 The Range of Textures at Our Fingertips

“‘Touch is one of the most forgotten languages.’ —Osho

Nurturing touch is necessary for the brain to learn to connect human contact with pleasure. This association is one of the foundations of empathy: we connect first through soothing touch and shared smiles.

I’ve shared some prompts for us to reflect together as a community. Let’s explore the impact of a lack of touch on our capacity to feel empathy. I invite you to write freely without editing yourself.

• How do we find ways to touch and be touched in these times?
• Have we secluded ourselves in untouchable beings behind our social media persona in an attempt to cope? And to cope with what?
• How can we re-establish a trust for touch and a touch for trust?

Sometimes it feels we only touch with our cold cleverness and data supremacy when we need love, to be seen, to belong… let’s end that and start touching one another with warmth.” — Fateme Banishoeib, Asteroid B-612

“After the first few weeks of lockdown, I started to miss friends and being around people a lot. Video calls couldn’t replace physical touch. I started drawing hands reaching out or touching and making them into papercuts. I was actually really impressed with my drawing skills (I had shied away from drawing closeup human anatomy for a long time) and at the same time really loved the intimacy of two hands touching. This image shows a mother’s hand reaching out and her baby clutching her finger. Did you know babies need touch to survive?” — Laura Huber, Hamburg, Germany

“I recently re-discovered something short but powerful that I wrote a few years ago and a friend encouraged me to revisit it out loud and to share it with others. I ended up recording myself reading it and sharing it with friends and on social media. I’ve since received an outpouring of feedback from friends and strangers alike about how much they needed to hear it and how much it “touched” them.” — Megan Morgan, Sacramento, California, U.S.

“This is an image from the final episode of Midnight Gospel, a show on Netflix. This is one of my favorite moments and episodes of this series. I don’t know if it’s available in all countries but I see it in netflix. I hope you watch all the other episodes – the whole series is beautiful.” — Nancy Diana Fernández García, Mexico City, Mexico

“I am a Massage Therapist, so Touch is my job! Through my touch I am able to help people recalibrate their nervous system *and *feel the best in their body.” — Erica Brown, Louisville, KY

“At the start of the pandemic, I wrote an essay on the power of touch – and the consequent loss of it – with regard to my local salsa dance community. Needless to say, we’re all very grateful to slowly be back together dancing.” – Rachel Scott Everett, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.

“I once attended a CreativeMornings virtual event on creating morning and night rituals and routines. Ever since, I’ve consciously incorporated elements from all five senses. For touch, there’s a soft comforter that keeps me warm all night, a rug that greets me to the ground, an elephant soft toy from IKEA named Dumbo who’s up for a hug anytime, a throw from IKEA that effortlessly keeps morning chill away and much more. I love how I’m more mindful of incorporating what pleases all my senses by introducing little luxuries in my everyday living.” — Radhika Mohta, Bengaluru, India