stop and smell the roses—(also: take time to smell the roses) slow down and relax; take time out and enjoy or appreciate life:
- There is a whole lot more to life than work and worry. You got to stop and smell the roses.
wake up and smell the coffee—is used to tell a person to face the facts; realize what is really happening:
- There is nothing you can do that will convince them to let you back into the club, so wake up and smell the coffee.