The Fleeting Beauty of the Cherry Blossom
I look forward to the sight every year. It's a fleeting moment, but worth the wait. The pink and white beauty of the cherry blossoms that burst forth every year, announcing spring to the world is one of my favourite sights. When the cherry blossoms bloom, the bleak months of winter are finally at an end, and this year more than ever, I've been eagerly anticipating the blooming of the cherry blossoms.
The cherry blossoms have come late this year. Normally, here in Dublin they flower around the second or third week of April, but they're only coming into full bloom now in May. Soon they will be gone again. Their fleeting lifespan, reminding us of how short and transient life can be. A moment that could be a sober and morbid reflection on mortality, is instead a celebration of life, with an annual burst of incredible and overwhelming beauty.
This year was a terribly dark and long winter, both metaphorically and literally. Having experienced a tragedy in autumn, the cold and long winter months have seemed like an eerie grey and colourless slog through some bleak and barren land. With the coming of spring, and the blooming of the cherry blossoms, the beautiful pink flowers are like a burst of beautiful light in the darkness. Their delicate silky flowers dancing on the branches, tilting their heads down for us to appreciate. The beautiful petals bring colour back to the dark grey world and banishing winter for another year.
The floral visitors may only be here for a short time, but their dance across the trees is a welcome one. Soon the petals will rain down and their beauty will be gone again for another year, but their message will always be in my heart. They say to us that, yes, life is short, life is transient, but for a while it is beautiful, and precious and we should cherish every second of it.
