Stop and smell the roses

I was walking down the street the other day, and noticed a family of three approaching me: a mom, a dad, and a little boy who looked like his head was too big for his tiny little body, and who was struggling to put one tiny foot in front of the other as his parents waltzed down the sidewalk. With his tiny woolen toque and black leather booties, he was the cutest thing since fuzzy kittens.

As I approached the family, the little boy stopped at a flower bush, feeling the petals and smelling the roses. The parents waited their patiently as the boy explored this new scent and beautiful piece of nature, smiling over him as they watched his curiosity in action.

I walked past and giggled at how cute he was, and the father looked at me in a serious tone, saying, "You must stop to smell the roses. You must!

I suddenly felt as if I should kneel down beside the toddler and start smelling. Instead, I walked by as quickly as possible so as to avoid the judgement that lay in wait for me for not stopping to smell the flowers when my bus lay at the end of the street.

I have to admire the father's dedication to the child's imagination though. We so often rush through life without appreciating the simple moments and pleasures that surround our everyday lives. It's as if we don't even recognize that they are there anymore; they're "decorations" or sidenotes to the main story of life.

Children are beautiful because they have so much awe in these simple pleasures of life. These are new discoveries, new pleasures, new joyous discoveries that bless them. The smiles and giggles that light up their faces at these simple pleasures are what make them so innocent, so lovable, so pure.

So let's all learn a lesson from them and stop to smell the roses.