Smell The Roses

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose
husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack. About a week after
his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of
students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in
through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she
moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down
there.
With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and
said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of
you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is
very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share,
love, appreciate and give of ourselves…and none of us knows
when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at
any moment. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us that we must
make the most out of every single day.”
Her eyes beginning to water, she went on, “So I would like you
all to make me a promise… from now on, on your way to school,
or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It
doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a scent –
perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone’s house, or
it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves
in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn
leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please, look for these
things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to
some, these things are the “stuff” of life. The little things we
are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for
granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any
time… it can all be taken away.”
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and
filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more
things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester.
Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what
an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all
of those things that sometimes we all overlook.
Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour
today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on
the way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone. For as
we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret,
but the things we didn’t do.
– Author Unknown