Stop And Smell The Roses – Seriously, Smell them!

This morning I found 43 new pictures on my camera that I had completely forgotten about since my Mom visited last weekend. We went to the Portland Rose Garden a week ago last Friday for the perfect stroll around the International Rose Test Gardens… thousands of beautiful roses in bloom, all smelling of different fragrances. I brought my trusty camera along and Mom, the rose loving gardener that she is, led the way.

She has a special way with two of life’s most fragile living things: people and plants. She can make plants grow in climates that are unheard of for a particular flower, and so too, can she help anyone, I mean anyone to bloom just as bright. She is water to the soul. All this, I pondered while following her, buzzing with delight from rose to rose. “Some are really just for looks and others smell so good,” she remarked after I scrunched up my face when I nuzzled a beautiful bright scentless red rose. She continued, “Red roses seem so old fashioned to me. Just look at all of these others. Blues, purples, pinks, and oranges… Ooh, and look at that coral one!” she barely got the last few words out before bouncing to the next sensory delight.

She was right, I thought to myself, “Mom, I hadn’t thought of that, I always liked red roses because, well, aren’t we supposed to? They’re romantic and wonderful and yet… Mom, it didn’t occur to me until now that they don’t even smell good!” We both laughed. Roses, to her, though beautiful to watch unfold, were equally wonderful to smell. I was beginning to understand something I always admired about her for so long.

Growing up, Mom had a morning ritual, she would get up early to send me off to school and always, no matter what, leave enough time to take in the delights of her backyard garden. She had created a masterpiece, a slice of  heaven, yes – her own meditation space, that I always admired. Often times, I would peer out the kitchen window  during the warm summertime mornings and watch her check up on everything, making sure all her little lovelies made it through the night, sure that the frost hadn’t hit, and surveying who needed water. The way she leaned down and breathed in the sweet smell of her favorite rose, Peace, and a few of its friends, and how she would caudal them in her hands, tuning in to their needs and the gifts of serenity, joy, and creativity they appeared to have spent all night preparing for her, astounded me.

So now you can understand how, after living 3 hours away from my parents for over three years, I found our experience at the rose garden, new and filled with inspirational and meditative qualities. Yet, I learned so much more about her looking back now as a nearly 27-year-old peering through the kitchen window, appreciating Mom all the more, understanding her, reveling in life even more.

We zigzagged in and out of the rows of the rose garden, taking it all in as the sun set. Some folks took books to read, others brought a picnic and planted themselves in the grass or on the park benches. By the end, we had picked our favorites, I loved the soothing, silky lavender rose bush that we met toward the beginning of our journey and she enjoyed about 5… the coral one, lavender, a beautiful white rose perfect for a elegant wedding, and two others of which I don’t remember the names, and yet cannot forget their scent.

We spent over an hour in the Rose Gardens and it was the best hour I’d had all week. I did nothing, and yet, I felt as though I was doing everything I’d intended. I was in the present, taking it all in, enjoying life and the beauty for what it is. I was noticing everything there was to appreciate, and so was everyone else!

So today, slow down. Learn from my Mom as I have and take a moment to stop and smell the roses, literally. Roses not only provide a natural calming effect on the body, but it sure does a soul good to refocus, appreciate what is right in front of us, and experience these wonders with the people we love. What a gift.

Take delight in the many gifts your parents, friends, and family have taught you through the way they chose to live their life. Remember,  in their eyes, it was important, it made sense, and seemed absolutely necessary. Learn from it all you can and take in even more. The only way to get to where you want to be is to appreciate the presence and beauty of where you are now. Breathe it in… Let life flow.

Thank you, Mom. You’re the best Parent and Coach I know. Everyday I aspire to be more like you: seeking first to understand, to love, and to live in the present. I learn so much from you. You are the best.

To the Rose in You,

Lacy Kirkland, CPC