Roses Are Red

Today's article is short and sweet, much like the scent of a rose.

There's less to read and more to do, and it is meant to linger in your memory.

Ironically, I’ve rewritten this article a few times over, and the version you see today is only faintly similar to its original. I realize now that I was overcomplicating one of my core pillars of belief.

Roses Are Red, And It’s No Sin To Say That.

This doesn't require any fancy prose or words of poetry. Overthinking it is always too much, and it’s a concept meant to interweave itself through your passing thoughts. 

In certain moments, it can embolden, and in others, it may act as a gentle reminder that beauty is everywhere, and everyone can use that encouragement when it slips our minds.

Simply put, roses are red, and there is nothing wrong with stating that fact.

So, too, there is no sin in saying that people are beautiful. So call it as it is and tell them when you can. 

It doesn't take Valentine's Day to remind those around you just how beautiful they are, despite the fact they tend to forget it.

We all relate to this.

The beauty we want to partake in yet willingly choose to ignore. 

This is beyond physical beauty and includes the mind's aptitudes and the heart's grit.

That passing stranger with the fashionable jacket, the unknown with a pretty smile, the cafeteria worker who goes beyond the job description, or the janitor with an incredible and consistent work ethic. Thoughts we have and do not share.

It’s also your parent when they’re ready to walk out the door, a sibling excelling in their passion, a loved one crushing it on the battlefield of life, or even a regular friend who is radiating that day for some reason or the other.

Sometimes, we’re too nervous to say a thing. Other times, we’re jealous, but most times, we’re just plain busy and let it pass by without acknowledgment. We do not understand the power of our words, both said and unspoken.

Is there anything wrong with those spontaneous thoughts that emerge periodically and randomly throughout the day about something we enjoy and could share with another person? 

No, there isn't. 

What stops us from walking over to them isn't the matter at hand but our perceptions of the possible consequences. And so we do not say them. We stay silent, and most times, we regret it later.

But what is the worst that could happen? 

You never see that stranger again. The cafeteria worker doesn’t hear you. The janitor nods and continues along.

Or the stranger may stop, sincerely thank you, and you make his day.

Perhaps the worker looks up and shares that they’d been having a poor shift. 

That janitor pulls out an earbud, smiles ear to ear, and you have made a new friend.

Regardless, you will undoubtedly be better for it; sharing beauty and being kind doesn’t just make you a better person but makes the people around you better for it, too.

—

What kind of world would we live in if we innocently loved harder more often?

What if we turned off cruise control, stopped chanting out mantras, and started existing in them instead?

We yell “Live, Laugh, AND LOVE!” but only live in our nine-to-fives, laugh it up on TikTok, and leave love outside shivering in the cold.

Identify the Roses in your life this week. Remind them who they are (beautiful, a leader, inspiring) or what you like about them (their work ethic, friendliness, wardrobe, etc.).

You never know the impact it might have or the smile it might bring.

Remember That Roses Are Red

They’re Beautiful Because Of It. 

That’s A Fact, Not A sin

So, Say It As It Is.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta