.: Smelling Something Good: Part 1

Sometimes I find myself needing to stop and smell the roses.

There are many reasons why I might take the time to engage my olfactory senses in such pleasure (as it is, I strongly dislike the smell of roses). This list is what I could think of on short notice, in a moment where I'm aware that my blood sugar is plummeting, and therefore wishing that, instead of roses, I am inhaling the fragrance of culinary adventure (preferably the cheesy kind).

I need to stop and smell the roses when I find myself:
down and out,
over caffeinated,
thinking that life is too complicated,
wondering about the future,
needing inspiration,
ecstatically happy,
alone,
needing a distraction,
in a jam,
in a pickle, or
in a new environment.

These metaphorical pause-and-whiff moments usually entail basic, yet wholly complicated, fundamentals. I might take the time to reflect (great verb choice) on the many facets of color, or the human body's lust for water, or the allure of nature, or the unending depth of relationship, or the immediate delight found in things such texture and pattern.

It is of the latter which I present to you today.

Lately, to distract me from the fact that we have no home in Portland yet (worried? no, just ready and waiting.), I have been busy editing the thousands of photos from our year in Europe.

So I present to you a few moments where I have chosen to stop and smell some kind of rose. I cannot say which reason drove me to capture these exact points in time, but here I am, hoping to share with you a bit of the peace that I have gained from taking the time to pause my life and consider the intricacies of something as simple as pattern.

As always, feel free to click on the photo to make it larger!