Take Time to 'Stop and Smell the Roses'
2020-05-24
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Are you feeling overworked? Are you so concerned with moving up in your career that you feel stressed and unhappy?
3If so, maybe it is time for you to stop and smell the roses.
4People who need to stop and smell the roses should stop working so hard.
5They need to slow down and take time to appreciate the many things that life has to offer.
6Often this means enjoying the wonders of nature - looking at stars in the night sky, feeling the wind blowing your hair, smelling flowers growing near a busy street.
7But the flowers do not have to be roses.
8While this expression relates to roses, it can be anything rather small or even commonplace.
9These things may seem small but they can give us great joy.
10The thing that you stop to watch could be an old married couple holding hands, a child jumping in a puddle or a musician performing by your bus stop.
11These are the things -- simple but beautiful things -- that we often walk by in a hurry to get to our next appointment.
12Very ambitious, highly driven people often need to stop and smell the roses.
13We sometimes call this kind of person Type A.
14Such people often do not know when to sit back and stop working.
15So, they may have a hard time slowing down and doing something as simple as smelling flowers.
16But you know, maybe for a Type A person, the best thing in the world might be working.
17In that case, stopping to smell the roses may give them no joy at all.
18Maybe smelling flowers gives them an allergic reaction.
19Maybe the person has many mouths to feed at home and does not have time to stop and smell the roses.
20People and their situations are complex.
21Now, we turn to about another "rose" expression: Every rose has its thorns.
22Roses come in many colors and many are beautiful.
23Also, some of the flowers give off a wonderful smell.
24No one can argue with that.
25But most roses have something that is not very nice - thorns.
26Thorns stick out from the stem of the plant.
27They can cut into the skin and make you bleed. They hurt!
28Every rose has its thorns means that everything usually has a bad side - even beautiful things.
29This expression can also mean that a thorn does not take away from a rose's beauty.
30Are the thorns unpleasant when they cut us?
31Well, yes. But is the rose still beautiful and worthwhile to have? Again ... yes!
32We need to respect the beauty of roses and the thing that can hurt us - the thorn.
33Thorns help protect the plant from plant-eating animals.
34So, they serve a purpose.
35Maybe flowers are as complex as we are.
36Which expression best describes your feelings right now: to stop and smell the roses or every rose has its thorns?
37And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.
38Join us again next week as we explore more expressions in American English.
39Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo!
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Are you feeling overworked? Are you so concerned with moving up in your career that you feel stressed and unhappy? If so, maybe it is time for you to stop and smell the roses. 3People who need to stop and smell the roses should stop working so hard. They need to slow down and take time to appreciate the many things that life has to offer. Often this means enjoying the wonders of nature - looking at stars in the night sky, feeling the wind blowing your hair, smelling flowers growing near a busy street. 4But the flowers do not have to be roses. 5While this expression relates to roses, it can be anything rather small or even commonplace. These things may seem small but they can give us great joy. 6The thing that you stop to watch could be an old married couple holding hands, a child jumping in a puddle or a musician performing by your bus stop. These are the things -- simple but beautiful things -- that we often walk by in a hurry to get to our next appointment. 7Very ambitious, highly driven people often need to stop and smell the roses. We sometimes call this kind of person Type A. Such people often do not know when to sit back and stop working. So, they may have a hard time slowing down and doing something as simple as smelling flowers. 8But you know, maybe for a Type A person, the best thing in the world might be working. In that case, stopping to smell the roses may give them no joy at all. Maybe smelling flowers gives them an allergic reaction. Maybe the person has many mouths to feed at home and does not have time to stop and smell the roses. 9People and their situations are complex. 10Now, we turn to about another "rose" expression: Every rose has its thorns. 11Roses come in many colors and many are beautiful. Also, some of the flowers give off a wonderful smell. No one can argue with that. But most roses have something that is not very nice - thorns. 12Thorns stick out from the stem of the plant. They can cut into the skin and make you bleed. They hurt! 13Every rose has its thorns means that everything usually has a bad side - even beautiful things. 14This expression can also mean that a thorn does not take away from a rose's beauty. Are the thorns unpleasant when they cut us? Well, yes. But is the rose still beautiful and worthwhile to have? Again ... yes! 15We need to respect the beauty of roses and the thing that can hurt us - the thorn. Thorns help protect the plant from plant-eating animals. So, they serve a purpose. 16Maybe flowers are as complex as we are. 17Which expression best describes your feelings right now: to stop and smell the roses or every rose has its thorns? 18And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories. Join us again next week as we explore more expressions in American English. 19Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo! 20Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is the rock band Poison singing "Every Rose Has Its Thorns." 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23stressed - adj. feeling very worried or anxious 24appreciate - v. to understand the worth or importance of something or someone : to admire and value something or someone 25puddle - n. a very small pool of usually dirty or muddy water 26ambitious - adj. having or controlled by ambition : having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous 27driven - adj. very determined to succeed 28Type A - adj. relating to, characteristic of, having, or being a personality that is marked by impatience, aggressiveness, and competitiveness and that has been implicated by some studies as a factor increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease Type A - n. person with a Type A behavior 29allergic reaction - n. An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to a harmless substance known as an allergen.