Dear Cherry Blossoms
A Postcard To New Beginnings
Welcoming the Blossoms and Spring
A sea of pink slowly drifts into Washington and its surrounding areas, a welcome protest against the drab browns and grays of Winter.
The influx of out-of-towners presents one of the first clues, saintly teachers and adults shepherding suburban teenage kids onto the metro during rush hour, to allow for the full city experience. They quickly learn to pull to the side of the escalator, lest be run over by a commuter leaping down the stairs with the agility of a track star hopping over hurdles.
The metro car facades, painted with larger-than-life, almost hibiscus-like blossoms, are nearly three-dimensional, akin to a children’s pop-up book. The coffee shops adopt the cherry blossoms next, unveiling their seasonal menus and specials with cherry syrups and scones and danishes. Pretty soon, pink shoes, tops, and even earrings can be found on adults and children, acquiescing to the theme.
It’s easy to tell those who’ve been visiting the blossoms. I ran into a man in the elevator, decked out in a pink sweatshirt and a pink visor with colorful block letters spelling “Costa Rica.” With a simple question, I confirmed my suspicions, that yes, he’d been visiting the cherry blossoms that morning.
Spring in Washington is my favorite season. I want to savor it, the way my hips might a particularly juicy pigeon pose after a seven mile run. The temperatures are not too hot, not too cold, and who can be angry when the flowers are becoming? This is their moment — not only the cherry blossoms, but the tulips, too. They unite like college girls getting ready for an evening out, decked in full, abundant, color.
The Annual Tidal Basin Pilgrimage
The Tidal Basin, the quintessential spot to view these beloved trees, is an experience on its own. Add in the flowers, the tourists, and the monuments, and there is an abundance of happenings to pull attention. The blossoms line the water beautifully, a floral ring of fire enveloping downtown DC during late March and into early April.
For the last five years, I’ve made my annual pilgrimage to see the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms. The pilgrimage is a two-part experience: an observation of the blossom beauty, and the life that happens surrounding them.
The beaming young father and his bride, cradling their baby, sitting together under a cherry blossom tree, as if posing for an elementary school portrait.
The little girl, catching a blossom in her hands, like a rare and special bubble. Her hands sit one on top of to other, as if she’s been diligently preparing to receive communion in the Catholic church for the first time.
The cameras appearing, a little too close for comfort, like insatiable sparrows hopping up on a bistro table, demanding to be fed.
The gaggle of high school girlies, gathering blossoms like confetti, and blowing them out like candles on the count of three.
The maybe five-year old, shouting with glee, “It’s snowing!!!!”
I’ve said it once and I will say it again, the blossoms are Spring’s version of a snowflake.
I stand back, observing and enjoying the magic of it all. I let tourists walk by, take pictures, and enjoy themselves at the pace that feels right for them. I sip my homemade hot matcha latte, and allow the delight to slip into my veins.
The blossoms cha-cha-cha in the wind, and when the moment is right, they let go, fly free, and land in the soil, frosting the ground with their light-pink pixie dust.
And with their flowering, I am reminded, too, of this season of new beginnings. The robins return and aerial courtship dances commence and the buds bloom and a holiness becomes apparent in it all, a return to our own aliveness again.
Let’s Reflect
Where do you see beauty in your life?
Where are your beginning anew?
What might you want to let go of, as you become present with these experiences?
As always, I would love to hear what this stirs up for you, or anything you would like to share. Wishing you a joyful Spring season.
In loving,
Grace