wake up and smell the roses
stop and smell the roses
To take time to enjoy the finer or more enjoyable aspects of life, especially when one has become overworked or overly stressed. You can't keep working these 80 hour workweeks, John! You have to stop and smell the roses, or else what is all that work even for?
wake up and smell the roses
To start paying attention to what is happening around you. Likely a combination of "wake up and smell the coffee" and "stop and smell the roses." Come on, Stan, wake up and smell the roses! They're cheating you out of millions! I can't believe that a crook like her is ahead in the polls to become governor. I hope for our sake that everyone wakes up and smells the roses before it's too late.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.