Stopping to Smell the Roses

My word of the year

Each year I come up with a word (or phrase) of the year.

In 2022, my word was #MeSet.

In 2021, my word was #Present.

In 2020, my word was #NeverSettle.

You get the point. My word of the year sets the tone that I’d like to follow.

As I began to think of how 2023 would unfold, I heard these words: “Stop pushing. Slow down, be still, and allow.” ALLOW. Wow, allow.

I began to think:

Could I, at times, overschedule, overthink, and over organize in ways that interrupt the blessings the universe intended to bring my way? Could I, at times, live on autopilot and force things into a square? We must admit that sometimes it’s easier to conform than to color outside of the lines.

As a fresh-flower fanatic, the next thing that came to mind for me was the familiar expression “stop and smell the roses.” Have you ever wondered about the origins of that saying? It’s actually a rephrasing of a line from the autobiography of golfer Walter Hagen: “Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

I don’t know about you, but I want my 2023 to hold a lot less worry and hurry and a lot more flowers along the way!

So, yes, allow it is. This year, I plan not to plan. I will choose to be aware so I can witness the very goodness of life around me. I will leave more time for being than for doing. I will sit instead of sprinting to the finish line. And I will stop and smell every rose.

I hope you’ll join me as I explore, wander and allow.

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