My sister-in-law Pattie told me when she went to use our bathroom yesterday when we had an outdoor picnic that she could smell a rose. I had cut the rose earlier in the day and put it in a small vase on my kitchen table.
It’s a really different type of rose that opens quickly, lasts for two to three day tops but is one of the more fragrant varieties.
When they’re in bloom, I try to cut as many as I can every few days so I can hold onto the beauty and the fragrance a little longer. I’ve also heard that cutting the blossoms can help to produce more later on, so it’s really a selfish pursuit.
Until I bought and planted this rose bush, I really never understood the old adage, “Take time to smell the roses.” Both the beauty and the fragrance are so unique and heavenly yet so short-lived that if I didn’t take the time to enjoy them when they were ready, I would miss the opportunity for another year.
That rose opened my eyes to other present-moment flowers that are available for only a short time and then gone for another year.
It also made me aware that while flowers typically come back each year, there are other things in life that you don’t get a second chance to see or enjoy, such as the growth of a child or the laugh of a dying parent. There are many other opportunities easily missed if we don’t live in the present. Take the lesson from the rose…enjoy the present in all its full glory.
It’s a mallow rose. Yes, we all need to take the time to smell the wonderful roses and not miss the other opportunities out there.