Speeding along life’s highway
With the scenery flashing by
Must stop and smell the roses
There’s more than meets the eye.
— Jack Ellison
Have you noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the dogged demands of daily life?
Someone always wants your attention or something that needs doing, be it a deadline to meet, a bill to pay, a crisis to avert, a dilemma waiting to be dealt with, or one more chore to do.
If you think that aim is to get every item checked off, it might be worth considering that there will likely be tasks left on your to-do list when you die.
On my walk this morning, my mind was reviewing everything I needed to do when I saw the cantaloupe-colored rose. I stopped and leaned over the fence to savor its heady fragrance. As I inhaled the sweet aroma of honey and tropical fruits, my chest opened and my mind cleared.
I took another delightful whiff and continued at a more leisurely pace, appreciating the colors of the sky I hadn’t noticed before.
Taking time to smell the roses is not just a metaphor.
I took the photo above with my Pixel 6 on my morning walk today.
Your thoughts?
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Responses:
Caroline Feig -August 22, 2023
Beautiful post, thank you 🙏
Larry Goldfarb -August 21, 2023
Thank you, Caroline. Thank you for letting me know you appreciated it.
nancy-laurel-pettersen Pettersen -August 21, 2023
My nostrils opened wider as I read your blog. Thanks for the sniff-sniff '-).
Christina Queins -August 21, 2023
Lovely written Larry. I never responded to your blog - but you do appreciate it!! I can totally relate to your „story/ feeling/ thought“. IT’s appreciating those beautiful moments / discovery’s in Nature or society that fuels you with so much strength and peace. And yes, your own ❤️-to-do-list tends to get secondary real quick - even in so called daily life . We should check in regularly with your ❤️needs. Thank you for sharing and pushing my thoughts / reminding myself of it. Hugs from Germany Christina
Larry Goldfarb -August 21, 2023
Thanks, Nancy-Laurel. Not an eye-opening experience, but an nostril opening one!
Larry Goldfarb -August 22, 2023
Thanks, Richard. I'm happy to hear "lovely" more than once.
Richard Adelman -August 22, 2023
I wanted to write "Lovely, Larry" and I discovered someone else had already said that. So be it. Originality is not everything. So: Lovely, Larry.
Larry Goldfarb -August 22, 2023
Thanks for responding this time, Christina, to let me know that you resonate with what I wrote. Indeed, the beauty of nature fuels (as you wrote) us with strength and peace. Hugs from the west coast of the US, Larry
rfm Murnaghan -August 21, 2023
Larry, Thanks for the lovely picture of the cantelope rose and the inspiring message that goes with it. I'm looking forward to what I'll notice on my evening walk. Rosa
Larry Goldfarb -August 21, 2023
Rosa - I learned from a friend who responded to my blog that this rose called “At Last”. She wrote; " Everything about it, from its color, to its scent, and most assuredly to its name, feeds the senses and the spirit." Wishing you a lovely evening walk. Larry
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