Stopping To Smell The Roses

"Take time to smell the roses
 Before it is too late.
 Today is full of promise
 Tomorrow will not wait"
 ~Marilyn Ferguson


I'm driving home from my brother's house yesterday.  We're at an intersection and we see a parade that was just starting.  So we stopped.   It turned out to be a great day.  Got to go on a trolley ride (the kids loved it) and heard a great Dixieland jazz band.  Learned a bunch about downtown Willoughby I never knew.  Saw some incredible old homes.   I could have just kept driving.  Probably would have in my old life because there's always something more important to do.




Not this time.  It's not just about me any more.  I see that every step I take is affecting the kids.  In a good way.  They seem happier and more relaxed.  So do I.  Of course we've kind of been on vacation for the last month (except for all the packing, moving, and unpacking).  Still sort of feels like we're living in a hotel minus the cleaning lady and room service.  But we've had some pretty great experiences so far.  There's a lot more to do here.  And there's family and a lot of "friends that were waiting for us to come back."  I've been informed that I can't call them old friends, so I guess that's what I'll refer to them until I get a better name.  So what if we got to the shoe store 15 minutes before closing and had to cram in all school supply shopping today?  The notebooks and markers weren't going anywhere.

But time is.  It flies by so fast. Every day I let pass by me is an opportunity lost.  I'll never get that time back again.  And I've already let so much pass me by.  It might seem that I am trying to cram way too much into an already hectic schedule.  Not really.  I mean, what else are we going to do - sit around the house and watch TV?  Probably.  Instead, I want to fill it with moments.  Memories that will last a lifetime.  Experiences that add to our character.

So we stopped to smell the roses.  And taste the peanuts.  And listen to the band.  It was awesome!