Stop and Smell the Roses

By Carol Woolum Roberts

 For most of the summer I have been able to walk around the gardens in the cool of the morning.  Sometimes I fertilize the plants.  Sometimes I deadhead the flowers.  Sometimes I cut flowers for some bouquets.

Sometimes I take some time and literally stop and smell the roses.

What a wonderful fragrance met my nose this morning from the beautiful orange Blaze of Glory climbing rose and the Desmond Tutu red rose.

Using our senses are a wonderful way to stop and experience what is happening around us.

This morning I smelled the roses. They were the most fragrant. Each time I dead head the petunias, I smell their lovely scent.

I hear birds chirping throughout the yard.  I also hear Cleo and her three cousin dogs running and playing in the backyard. At one point I hear our cat Clark scrambling up the back fence, because Cleo spotted him and started to give chase.

I love all the colors I see in the backyard.  The vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, purples, whites, greens, and pinks.  I cut my zinnias to make a bouquet today, and I loved all the different colors of zinnias growing in my backyard. I cut two red gladiolus to add to my yellow glads already in vases from earlier.

I feel the different textures of the flowers and plants as I deadhead flowers and pull off dead leaves from the plants. Some leaves feel ferny, like the cosmos. Some leaves are velvety, like the Angel Wings.  Others are soft, like the geranium leaves.

Today the tastes came through using some produce and herbs from the garden for a salad I made and took to a potluck gathering at a friend’s house. I cut up zucchini and patty pan summer squash and combined it with some leeks and purple cabbage to make a summer salad. I put fresh sage in the dressing. It was delicious.

The next time you are in your backyard, or your front yard, or a park, or walking down the street, take some time to pay attention to what you are smelling, hearing, seeing, touching, and tasting. It is such an easy way to make these moments in our world richer because we took the time to slow down and pay attention.

If you want to try this exercise this weekend, come and visit Paul and I at the Silver Valley Cares Mental Health Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kellogg City Park on August 27, 2023.  We are going to give people the opportunity to sit and do this simple exercise as a way to learn an easy to way slow down for a few moments, and experience and pay attention to the world around us all.

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 What is something wonderful you paid attention to recently, using one of your five senses?

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