1. The instrumental sections - When I sang with the symphony, there were a number of pieces with movements or sections where only the orchestra would play. In these longer sections, the choir would sit in our riser seats directly above the orchestra and wait for our next entrance. It was always so amazing to be part of the performance, yet afforded these opportunities where I could be allowed to stop for a moment and also be an observer in a position no audience member could ever experience. It literally felt like we were immersed in a blanket of music, not to mention the things we were seeing close up...like the maestro's expressions, the sheer physicality of the timpani, and the faces of the patrons sitting front/center orchestra. These are all the things you don't always notice when you're having to sing, follow your music, and follow the maestro's arms/hands.
2. Disney when they were young - We all know those people who don't understand why anyone would go to Disney before their kids could really remember it and experience all there is to offer, but there were so many little moments when the girls were preschool ages where instead of being in the moment with an attraction or other Disney designed experience, my stop and smell the roses moments were just watching them. I think one of my favorites was a moment in Spaceship Earth. It was DD17's 5th birthday and we were making that descent towards the end where it looks like you're in space looking out on the Earth. I was just watching her and she grabs my arm and says "Mommy!!! Thank you so much for taking me to space!" Nobody had the heart to tell her that it's just a ride (that she'd been on before).
3. Waiting on nature - Whether we've picked a scenic area to wait on sunset or a prime location and time of day for wildlife spotting, there's a lot of stop and smell the roses moments while you wait. Sure, it's spectacular if you see those animals you were hoping to see or if the conditions make for a spectacularly vibrant sunset, but sitting down and waiting sort of forces you to observe the other neat or special things around you.