Yikes Roses! - Yes I should stop and smell them

Thanks Teresa - you reminded me to stop and smell the roses and today I not quite so literally, did. There aren't any roses blooming, not in the yard. But I still remember, not so very long ago, a special bunch sitting on my table after a book launch.

Roses are a great reminder to live in the moment. Their scent is rich, their beauty almost flamboyant, like a gorgeous, voluptuous woman in the midst of every day life, they are impossible to miss and make us pause even in the frantic hum of our lives. Often, without a slap you in the face reminder, we are so busy in our own lives that mundane errands eclipse the peace and beauty that is always around us if we only look. But every once in a while someone special reminds us to do just that - sometimes not just once but twice or even more.

Today a yearly milestone, a journey out of the final cobwebs of winter was the reminder. Today's journey involved literally dusting off the dust and webs on the lawn furniture and clipping the overgrown growth of fur that protected the family dog from the long harsh winter. The dog literally crawled under the newly placed deck chair to escape a moment of what he considered undue, and harsh treatment. His perception of undue and harsh is a little extreme. But ten minutes under the scissor was more than he wanted to endure.

My characters in "The One" experienced the same hair cut only much more extensive. The story is being pruned down to a sweet and solid core and that was my morning.

The end of the day, with drinks in hand on a unexpectedly warm day in early April, it was apparent who had the real zen in the family. Who really was most equipped to just enjoy the moment. But then, somehow we always knew that.

This moment is all we're ever promised. Live it!

Ryshia