None at all - either he lost it in early childhood or he never had it, he can't

exactly remember. 

I am not being mean about his clothing or sense of style - I am being quite

literal. His taste buds do not work at all. When he eats, there is only texture,

no flavor. "Food is simply fuel" as he says it - there is no particular

enjoyment to any particular food, just the satisfaction of no longer being

hungry.

"How horrible," I thought, "to never be able to taste chocolate, fruit or delicious, exotic foods". 

And then a few years

ago, as a side effect of some bug going around, I completely

lost my sense of taste as well. Usually your sense of taste is

diminished when you have a cold, as smell is a big part of the

sensation. But it wasn't that - my taste buds actually stopped working completely -

and the smell part of it went too. Nothing but texture was left

- not even spicy food registered, other than some watering eyes.

Fortunately it only lasted around 4 weeks, but I can tell you I was worried it

might not come back. Life without the taste of good food...and chocolate! Of course, I

could imagine it very well as I was experiencing it first-hand, but I did

not like the prospect of life without tasting. While I suffered the effects,

food was definitely just fuel. No enjoyment at all.

I was thinking a lot about my

colleague during that time - wondering if he missed it, or simply did not know

what he was missing. 

Other friends or colleagues are

color-blind, some red/green, some other mixes, and a rare few have strictly

black and white vision. A few others are partially or entirely blind, either

through accidents, disease or blind since birth. Countless others wear glasses, as I

did until laser surgery - when I had reached the point where things were still a

bit blurry at the "best" setting on the optician's fancy machine.

Some other friends and family are

deaf, either mostly or partly - and my kids certainly have selective hearing

when there are jobs to do around the house!

I have not come across anyone personally who has a diminished sense of touch,

but I understand that there are many people with this condition as well.

When we are dealing with people, we never know exactly how they each experience

the world - what their perspectives are - and not just with the physical

senses. 

One thing that is

undeniable, though,

is that your perception of the world around you affects how you respond

in any given situation - and it also affects your approach to projects

and challenges.

Listen to the podcast, or read the full article on Gazza's Corner blog.