Thought for the Week: Lesson’s from life’s roses
The English language is peculiar. There is a vast difference between the phrases, ‘Wake up and smell the roses,’ and, ‘Stop and smell the roses.’
The first one is all about being aware of what is really going on around you. To realise the truth of your own situation.
It is something we all have to do throughout our lives, when we can no longer pretend things are OK, or we are coping with difficult circumstances and trying to make it look like we have it all under control.
Being faced with the unvarnished reality of life is a sobering experience. If we can accept that sometimes life is awful and terrible, and bad things can happen to good people, then we are already part-way to moving forward and looking for solutions – or just plain recognising life (both good and bad) happens to everyone.
The second phrase, ‘Stop and smell the roses’, is also about being aware of what is going on around us.
Whether you think of it as a metaphor, or the actual act of admiring real roses, the benefit is the same. To relax; to take time out of one’s busy schedule to enjoy or appreciate the beauty of life is a worthwhile thing to do.
If we intentionally slow down, lift our eyes, and pay attention, then we notice the little things which give life meaning. It may be the sound of birds chirping in trees, the sound of waves on the shore, the smell of fresh-cut grass, or the murmur of other people’s voices.
It doesn’t matter what it is that makes you stop – just so long as you stop – just for a moment so you can either wake up and smell those roses, or just enjoy the aroma of them.
Marion McDonald, local worship leader, Church of Scotland.
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