Roses vs. Reality - Day 1

A dozen roses lay strewn across my path as I step out of bathwater and onto the altar of the earth, barefooted. A light breeze greets my face from the right, brushes my slightly rose-colored cheeks, and blows away to greet another fortunate traveler. The scent of roses in the air that just blew past me is delectably nauseating. How can such beautiful aromas still exist in a world confined to virtual realities? I try to reach my fingers out to pick up a petal that just made its way to the ground, but I feel a nudge on my shoulders and a voice saying, “Come! Dinner is on.” I look at the petal and I know that I can come back to this exact moment after dinner, freeze the moment with the gesture of my hand, and take off my VR headset to go and join my family for dinner.