Life is a bed or roses, is it?

They say life begins at 40. The 40+ years I have lived here on earth have taught me many things concerning the joy of living that I would wish to share with those who would care to take heed.

One thing that has captured my attention this week is the say, 'life is a bed of roses'. Literature was at one point my favourite subject, so I'd be happier doing a little analysis.

The denotative meaning appears very clear; roses are lovely, soft and beautiful. From far, you can hardly see the 'thorns' or 'prickles'. Everything is lovely to behold. The aroma is just breathtaking.

However, the closer you move to the rose plant, the more you notice the ugly 'thorns'. While the sharp objects along a rose stem are commonly called 'thorns', they are technically prickles - outgrowths of the epidermis (the outer layer of tissue of the stem).

The reality is; underneath the lovely roses, there are very deadly and 'prickly thorns'. Does the thorns make roses bad? Not at all. What counts is how you handle the roses.

Connotatively, there is a lot that we can learn from the rose plant. Our lives are ridden with both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. A closer look reveals many ugly incidents that we would not wish to be made known.

As an individual I have a choice: either to use my lovely roses to soften my pathway in life and move to greater heights or concentrate on ugly incidents in life that are likened to the thorns. They more I occupy my mind with the ugly incidents, the more my mind and conscience is prickled and destroyed beyond repair.

We all make choices in life. It presents to us lovely roses - what matters is how each individual makes his or her bed of roses: will you pay less attention to the thorns/prickles underneath and enjoy the fragrance of rose flower or will you discard the flowers and unearth the ugly prickles/thorns?

Make a wise choice each day.