Ever have someone say to you that you need to stop and smell the roses?
I always loved that phrase, and I took it literally.
I stopped on walks to smell flowers, to hug trees. I found joy in sidewalk cracks full of moss, in wind on my face, in cloud shapes and glimmers.
Because I found joy in lots of little things, others called me “easily amused.” I always told them,
“those more easily amused are more often amused.”
I thought I had it all figured out.
But as the years passed, resentment crept in. I started wondering why I wasn’t further along.
Why things hadn’t bloomed faster. Why others seemed to race ahead while I was still… sniffing roses.
Over time I realized that this is not unique to any one particular age, but a cyclical challenge that can appear every time we lose site of the beauty of the journey itself, the ‘becoming.’
✧ When Slowness Feels Like Failure
There’s a moment when we begin to feel like we’re behind.
Like all the joy we gathered didn’t “pay off” in the ways we hoped.
It’s subtle at first, a question here, a comparison there.
But soon, the petals of wonder start to close up, hidden under the weight of self-doubt.
The same person who once found beauty in everything…
Starts to ask: “Did I waste too much time?”
✧ But Roses Don’t Bloom on Deadlines
And here’s the truth I’ve had to learn over and over again:
You can’t rush becoming.
You can feed it.
Water it.
Tend to it gently.
But you can’t force it to happen faster than your soul is ready.
The rose takes its time.
So do you.
Even Oprah once told Jimmy Fallon he needed to enjoy the journey of becoming the new host of the show, that she wished she had stayed more present along her path to becoming the mogul she is today; but at the time she was so focused on the finish line, she missed all the fun bits in the middle.
Especially if You Process the World Differently
For those of us with ADHD, Autism, or sensitive nervous systems, it can be easy to feel “behind.” Like we’re late to bloom, or missing some invisible milestone.
But your growth may not look like anyone else’s, and that’s okay.
You’re not broken. You’re blooming in your own way, at your own pace.
Even roses unfold slowly.
✧ Everything You Noticed Along the Way Was the Point
The pauses.
The tiny joys.
The willingness to notice beauty when no one else slowed down long enough to see it.
Those were not distractions from your “progress”… they were evidence of your aliveness.
The person who stops to smell the roses doesn’t miss out.
They learn how to be present.
They remember how to receive.
They know how to begin again, with softness instead of shame.
✧ If You’re Feeling Behind, Try This
- Light a candle or take a deep breath.
- Ask: “What beauty have I overlooked lately because I’ve been too focused on being ‘further along’?”
- Journal the answer.
- Or pull a card, and see what wisdom is already blooming.
(You might find resonance in cards like: It Starts With Kindness, Tending Petals, or Your Secret Recipe.)
