Stopping to Smell the Roses

Today on my morning walk, I was distracted by a stunning, vibrant rose in a neighbor's yard and just had to stop to admire it. While inhaling its delicious scent, I felt a calmness and sense of peace come over me. Most days I head out to cover as many miles in the shortest time possible. The effect the perfect rose had on my mood changed my course to taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of this fresh, spring morning, and not worrying about how many miles I logged or how quickly I covered
them.

 As I walked, I noticed so many other beautiful flowers, but especially the roses. It must be a good year for roses because they are huge and bountiful. Some of the blossoms were as big as cantaloups. Is it a good year for roses, or have I missed them in the past in my quest to complete my walk on schedule?

I live in an older neighborhood of large lots with mature landscapes. Everyone living here takes pride in their yards and each house is unique to the owners' plants of choice; but the same in the way they are

cared for and kept up. This stairway is across the street from my home and I rarely enjoy its artistry. As I studied it today, I was reminded of the gardens on Lake Como, or the South of France, but it is right here on my street to enjoy everyday.

 I marveled at the beauty that I take for granted as I rush through my days and felt grateful that one exquisite rose had reminded me to to take note of natures gifts that are all around. Stopping to smell the roses can inspire a great day!

My How Time Flies

Time speeds up as we grown older. At least it certainly seems to fly by faster each year. As Children, each day was an eternity as we waited for the last day of school, or an exciting holiday like Halloween or Christmas. Now I feel as if I just put the Christmas decorations away when it is time to deck the halls once again. How can it be that a year goes by with the snap of a finger when the same time period used to feel endless?

One way to put this phenomenon into perspective is to consider that for a ten year old, a year is one-tenth of their life. For a sixty year old, a year is one-sixtieth. One-tenth of a whole is a large segment, whereas one-sixtieth is a tiny fraction. Consequently, the more years we have behind us, the smaller they get – or seem to get. The good news is we don’t have to wait for vacations and holidays like we used to; all we do is blink, and the time has passed.

The reality is that a year remains 365 - 24-hour days regardless of our age. Later in life we know these years are limited, and therefore they become more valued. Wasted time is lost time – gone from us forever. Our time will pass whether we embrace each day or let it slip away. The choice is clear to me.