Don't Stop to Smell the Roses

Have you personally stopped to smell the roses as of late? Well don't, they're not that great. A corner bakery early in the morning, a pretty girl's perfume, these are the scents to enjoy. Or, maybe you have your own favorites like the smell of the yellowing pages of an old hard cover book that hasn't been opened in years. My point being that roses smell like a plant, and "stop to smell the roses" is an overused phrase ever since Ringo Star titled an album as such. It's meant as an encouragement to slow down and enjoy the little things in life; however I find that it's the opposite of how life should be lived. First off there is more on the surface of this planet than could be experienced by a single person in his or her lifetime, let alone the fact that there is literally additional oceans out there of crazy mysteries, and explore-able caves and cracks and crevices that would take forever to look at them all. Why then would anyone want to slow down let alone stop to smell anything? Life is far too short to not enjoy things while still moving onto the next thing. Additionally there are so many huge things out there, which make you question the wisdom behind focusing too much time on any little thing. The sky on a crystal clear night, far away from any city lights, is the perfect example of this. When anyone looks up, they are not focusing on any one star. People look up to see the blanket of stars engulfing the planet on which they live, in such an astonishingly large quantity that it makes them feel microscopic themselves. Now this is not to undervalue the little things or the joys that can be taken away from them. I just want to point out that if someone flies through life, meeting one challenge after another head on without slowing down in between, the last thing anyone should do is encourage them to stop and appreciate the little things. Just as much appreciation can be gained from the big things, if not more. Would you be more likely to pay to see a big Hollywood blockbuster in the theatre or a small independent movie? Do children appreciate the bigger or smaller toys at Christmas time? For that matter, do even smaller children like to play with a huge cardboard box that a gift came in or a shoebox?  So, enjoy the big things and the little things too, and do both as often and as fast as you can in order to get as much into and out of life as you can. My point being, the next time you see someone smelling the roses on the side of the road, maybe propose a more exciting activity to them, or at least suggest smelling the lavenders instead. I’ve always found lavenders to have a much stronger and more pleasant scent.