If it’s possible to separate out the senses or to rate each of them in isolation, it’s touch that does it for me every time. If something doesn’t feel good to the touch, I really don’t want to touch it.

The way that fabric feels underneath the fingertips - how silk enflames, cotton soothes, wool warms, linen cools and leather excites. Love how it feels to slip into a bed, freshly made with cool, crisp cotton sheets. Feel the weight of an overcoat slipped on as protection against the cold and wind. Anticipate pleasure when zipping up a beautifully fitted dress and thrill when someone else unzips it and lets it fall to the floor. Envelop in a thick cotton towel after a hot bath.

Touch the cold, smooth surface of marble or pebbles from a beach, worn down from years of relentless bashing by the sea, sand and rock. Feel water in needles over your body in the shower, its silky caress when slipping into a pool, a bubbling jet in the hot tub. Enjoy the tactile experience of carved and sanded wood, pure and simple.

Run your fingers through the soil looking for tiny new potatoes, freshly dug. Let your fingertips enjoy a moment wandering across a bowl of uncooked rice, beans or lentils. Feel the cold, hard steel of the cooking pot, soon to be hot with the contents of supper.

Experience the spark when two hands meet for the first time in a relationship. Enjoy the electricity of the first flush of love. Feel a body charging its batteries on lust. Remember going for days with no sleep, just for one caress. Know the thrill of fingertips exploring and mapping the body.

Live life for the tender touch. Without tenderness there really is something missing….(she says, borrowing from her heroes – General Public)

Touch someone’s life today. Embrace the one you love. Make them feel safe and warm with your touch and most of all, make them feel loved.

Last year was a bittersweet day for me - being with Patti and Sally is as sweet as it gets....but saying goodbye to DM at Philly airport....well, that was a bitter moment.