Let's Smell the Roses (originally posted November 16, 2010)


     I was with my spouse today at a professional place of business, waiting to be seen.  Inside a television set was showing CNN, and the many other clients were busying themselves watching television, checking their Blackberries, chatting or otherwise engaged.  I looked out the picture window and noticed that the entire front sidewalk, parallel to the building, was lined with roses of the "Knock Out" variety.  I don't know that much about roses, but apparently this is a hearty one.  We planted one Knock Out bush in in our yard a few months back, and it flourished without much care from us at all.  The 30 or so bushes we saw today were doing equally well.  Keep in mind, today is November 16th, and we live in Nebraska.  While this winter has been far milder than last year's (so far), we've still had a few hard freezes overnight and a rapid-fire wet snowfall last Friday night.  In spite of all this, these roses were still blooming, and looked actually pretty healthy.  The old adage about taking time to smell the roses might be even more difficult these days---we have a heck of a lot more distractions---but it continues to apply.  Taking time for life's small yet beautiful moments is something I need to remind myself to do every single day.

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