Stop and Smell the Roses

Stop and Smell the Roses
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Stop and smell the roses, 27 January 2021. Photo by me!

In September last year, I wrote about tiny little things. How spending the smallest of increments of time on the smallest of inconsequential matters (like stopping to smell the roses) might help you feel a little bit more in control. It does for me at any rate.

I recently came across an old post by Eric Barker. Well, two actually.

The first argues that humans adapt to pleasant experiences; they give us less pleasure and we take them for granted. So, by enjoying lots of small pleasures, we achieve more pleasure overall.

For example, if I took the longer path through my garden, I could stop and smell my roses. And enjoy the sunshine on my back. And get a few extra steps in. And maybe pull a weed and enjoy the satisfaction of tending my garden.

A bunch of tiny pleasures that I could enjoy several times a day.


The second post talks about the daily habits of the happiest people. Including things like exercise, focusing on the now when you’re in it and getting comfortable expressing gratitude.

Interestingly, happiness is also an outcome of achieving goals. And the happiness you feel is the result of intentional activities.

And an intentional activity is most often a scheduled activity.

That might be regularly getting together with a few mates to kick a ball around, or having a Dinner Party. But it could just as easily be attending some kind of class, lecture or show.

Obviously, that’s difficult in a world experiencing a pandemic. But in a twisted kind of way, this is the perfect time to schedule some time, to narrow your focus and achieve something.

  • Buy a jigsaw.
  • Attend an online class for just about any kind of activity you want.
  • Form a readers group with your friends and finally tackle Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
  • Start journaling, or scrapbooking, or both! In the same notebook!
  • Take up watercolours. Or at least start drawing those roses.
  • Cook all the recipes from your favourite chef.

Having been through one of the worlds longest lockdowns, I can assure you that a sense of purpose will make the months fly by.

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