Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)

It didn't really sink in me till after I talked with my best friend who is in Chicago, that cherry blossom trees are not as common in most places in north america as it is here in Victoria. So I thought I'd dedicate a blog entry to this very beautiful flower.

I have often wondered why cherry blossoms is one of the near revered flower in Japan. Never having seen an actual tree in bloom and just judging at the drawings on pastel color boxes and some pictures sent by friends, I thought it was just a level above the daisy and lower than that of the rose. But I guess, you have to actually see it to feel its magic.

Cherry blossoms by far, is one of the most generous and amazing flowers that I have ever seen in my life. When they bloom, they fill up the whole tree with nothing but its flowers. (And there is a very strange effect of seeing it all up there above the tree and not down below in a shrub). There is nothing like passing under the shades of a tree so heavy with tiny pink or white flowers where an occassional wind would cause it to stir and shower you with floating pink or white petals and transport you to a heaven like place you wished would last forever, like a scene in the movie...you'd almost wait to see someone you long to see your whole life walking towards you with arms open wide smiling, because under the shades of the blooming cherry blossoms, you feel like anything can happen.

But then again, impermanence is one of the nature of cherry blossoms. Part of its appeal is because it only blooms once a year during spring and it blooms for a week or two and is gone. Petal by petal, it is blown away, swirls on the ground and decays like the rest of us. In this way, for me, it embodies how life should be lived...generously and giving, with beauty, grace and full to the brim.