Smell The Roses

Good Morning,

When I was much much younger I use to ride with my dad to see friends or go over to the garden. One day, as we were driving through our small town, I looked out the passenger window of the car and I saw an old man standing at the street corner. For some reason, our eyes met and held for about twenty seconds as we went by the corner. There was nothing fearful about this man but it was a significant encounter for me. Up to that point in my life, I had not thought much about anyone I saw on the street, in stores or anywhere else. My life was my family and my friends on the block and that was it.

But I was intrigued by that old man. For the first time I had an empathy and an interest in what that person was all about. What kind of life had he lived? Where had he been in his time? How had he come to this corner just at the moment I was going by? Over the years I had long forgotten about this old man, but he came to mind for me recently and I remembered those twenty seconds or so that I looked into the eyes of a stranger and wondered what he was all about.

It seems we are all so busy these days. There are so many details, so many calls to make and so many things to look after that we barely have time for sincere and genuine interest in others. We are inundated by warnings from great thinkers in our society encouraging us to 'stop and smell the roses'. But I'm afraid many of us never really appreciate the wisdom of these words. During my many opportunities to speak to the youth of today, I do my best to convey this message, but the young are as busy as the rest of us (if not more).

It's important for us all to slow down and understand others, to realize that if you are thoughtless and indifferent to others on your road in life, then you are missing life itself. Do not be afraid to take a moment and ask someone, how did you come here or how did you get into this business? We all have a story or two to share and no matter what a person tells you, their answer will make you richer. You can grow emotionally, you can excel as a person and you can be wealthy by every measure if you just appreciate the gifts that people and life all around you are ready to give right at this moment just by their simple presence.

We should appreciate that great symphonies were written from only seven simple notes. We should know that great works of art are measured by the emotions they evoke, not just how they look next to the plant stand and we should never forget that heartache cannot be cured, but can be eased by someone willing to give genuine sympathy. The true greatness of joy can only be known when it is shared with others.

Sometime back, I was speaking in San Francisco. During the lunch break I went to a book sale in the lobby of the convention hall. I was thinking about returning to the show or carrying on my walk when I decided to go outside to stand on the corner for a fresh air break. At that moment a car went by and I caught the eye of a young boy looking at me from the passenger window. We looked at each other for about twenty seconds before the car disappeared around the corner. I wondered if that boy was thinking about what sort of person I was just as I did all those years ago.

I wondered if some 30+ years had just simply flashed by or whether that boy and I had just simply changed places in the span of 20 seconds.

Before I returned to the trade show, I stopped at a small florist booth and I bought a rose. I smelled it's sweet fragrance and put it in the lapel of my jacket. For some reason, I felt it was the most important thing I would do for the rest of the day.

Peace and Love, Jim