My wife complains that I am always in a hurry and do not stop to smell roses. She says that I am missing a lot in life. “If you never stop and smell the roses how do you know what you are missing”, she says.

I am not sure of the origin of the phrase “stop and smell the roses”. When I asked around, some one took time to narrate the origin of this phrase to me. Here it goes. Long time ago a lady had a rose garden. She wanted the garden to be the best. She worked hard day and night, cultivating and beautifying it. One of her friends noticed that she is losing sleep over the garden and quipped “Mary, please stop and smell the roses”.

The other day I read an article somewhere about an experiment conducted by Washington Post. It appears they made the world famous violinist Joshua Bell play his most intricate composition in a subway. After playing for 45 minutes, it was observed that no one paid any attention (leave alone paying money) except for a few kids. So, the composition which was played to a houseful audience that paid $100 per seat was played for 45 minutes without any of the millions of people, who went through that subway in those 45 minutes, realizing or noticing it. If any of these people took time to stop and listen to the composition, they would have realized the value of it and how fortunate they were to have had such a great opportunity.

The other school of thought is that the appreciation is directly proportion to the value. So, what the pupil of this school argue is that if the same people who paid $100 per seat listened to the same composition in the subway, they would have not appreciated it. Well, that may be true, but the theme of this blog is different so, we will jump the fence and go back to our school, that is, smelling the rose theme.

We are all pressed for time and fail to enjoy the small things (forget about the intricate compositions). When is the last time we enjoyed the rain drops on roses? When is the last time we enjoyed the chirping of the birds in the dead silence of the night? When is he last time we just sat out in the open and stared aimlessly into the vast open sky imagining all the shapes we could visualize with twinkling stars (just try it, you can see not just the big dipper but all kinds of shapes).

Wayne Muller did a better job of explaining the importance of slowing down in his book “Sabbath”. He says

“Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that show us where to go, the nourishment that gives us succor, the quiet that gives us wisdom.”

Though it is a fancy way of saying take some time off and enjoy life, there is a reason for choosing roses over, say, chrysanthemums or poinsettias. It is scientifically proven that one of the active ingredients of rose hips actually helps cure arthritis. So, stopping and smelling the roses may not only provide one the much needed mental nourishment, it also improves physical health (especially if one has arthritis).

Hey Mister

Where you going in such a hurry

Don't you think it's time you realized

There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry

The sweetest things in life are free

And there right before your eyes

You got to Stop and Smell the roses

You've got to count your many blessings everyday

You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road

If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way

(Stop And Smell The Roses - Mac Davis)