Smelling the Roses

I spent my time in the company of a good friend yesterday, talking as the sun went down and dancing in the cold, harsh light of it’s rise.

It was a wonderful time, full of deep thought, humour and comfortable silences and I realised, as the sun rose and I walked my way back along the river bank towards my transport home… that these where the moments I should treasure.

For some reason or other, people think the only worthwhile moments are the huge ones. The weddings, the funerals, the parties. The extravagant moments. The spectacle.
This has led me here, to this moment, where I feel I must point out something very simple:

Learn to take joy in the smaller things.

It’s not about flashes and bangs and wonder and awe… the best parts of life are being in good company, having interesting conversations, laughing at 8am after an all nighter for no reason other than you didn’t want the night to end.
It’s about smiling to yourself at the clink of a tea spoon as you put the sugar in your tea and then go relax in front of a television for a bit or waking up to the sound of people you love starting their day.


Life is not always easy. It can get very dark, very cold and more than a little tough. There will never be enough spectacular moments to counter that… so I urge you, appreciate what happens everyday. The little intricate things that make up the day. The things we take for granted. The people around you. The way the rivers look from one moment to the next. The fact that the sky is just the right shade of blue. Everything.

Go dance in the sun rise, laugh in the rain and talk the night away with someone you care about.
Say what you’re thinking. Run, because you want to, not because you have to. Walk because you can and you don’t want to just pass everything by. Listen to the world around you and appreciate its sound. Call up a friend and ask them about their day.

Do something other than wait for the next big event.
Make the fact that you’re alive and can experience the world the event.
Make your life the event.

You’ll be better for it.
We all will.

-K