Stop and Smell the Roses

By Kristin Golliher, CEO & Founder of WildRock

It’s a funny world in which we live. We are encouraged to quickly get from A to B, stay busy, check things off the list and fill our days with accomplishments, but what happened to stopping and smelling the roses?

I was literally reminded of this the other day when my toddler wanted to “walk” rather than ride in the stroller. Typically after dinner we pop the little one in the stroller, walk to see the ducks and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. However, the other night we decided we would let the little go-getter stroll around the neighborhood like mommy and daddy.

While the walk took way longer than ever expected, it was adorable to watch her discover everything along our route. From birds chirping, to stomping in puddles of water, to waving at people, she was completely enamored and had to explore. Along the way she picked up a broken key, three rocks, two leaves and yes, actually stopped several times along the way to smell the roses—what a wake up call that was for my husband and I! Slow down and enjoy the stroll, let her investigate, what’s the hurry?

Somehow between childhood and adulthood we lose this fascination with the world around us—the sights, sounds and smells can be mesmerizing and through a little ones eyes all the more astonishing. We kept crouching down to her level and what a big world it is.

I would imagine over the years we will teach our daughter a few things here and there, but I’m convinced, we will learn far more. Lesson of the day: don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!