Take time to smell the flowers,
Take time to hug a tree,
Take time to hear each bird sing,
Take time to simply be !!
It’s another hazy morning here on St. Thomas, with our Sahara dust in full force today. So as the sun struggled to make it’s entrance, which wasn’t grand, I stopped to smell the frangipane growing on my hillside. It’s scent is like a soft gardenia.
And as a result, I’m learning all kinds of things this morning!
Did you know that in common folklore the frangipane, or Plumeria, is believed to provide shelter to ghosts and demons? The scent of the Plumeria has been associated with a vampire in Malay folklore, the pontianak, spirits of woman who died while pregnant. Humm …. Now I’m going to spook myself in the nights to come LOL ..
As for the saying “Stop to smell the roses”, the origin is uncertain. Ringo Star released an album in 1981 by the title, but it is felt the phrase has been in existence much longer. One bit of evidence that it’s an old expression is the fact that if it had originated with Ringo’s album (or the song by that name, by Mac Davis from 1974), then the expression would have been copyrighted.
Some believe it might be a misquote of advice from the golfer Walter Hagen that appeared in the 1956 book “The Walter Hagen Story” …
“Don’t hurry. Don’t worry.
You’re only here for a short visit.
So don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.”
~ Walter Hagen
Others feel it is an off-shoot of the phrase “Wake up and smell the coffee!” which was popularized by Ann Landers in the mid 1950’s. Ann advised a husband: “Wake up and smell the coffee … Do you want a wife who smokes, drinks, likes taverns, and slaps you around?”
So what about you? I hope you’ll take time out today to stop, and appreciate the beauty of life. Happy Friday ❤
