🌸 Cherry blossom time!
Spring has arrived, which means that people are out all the time and my weekend walks aren't as isolated like a spooky atmospheric music video in the gloom of a winter mid-morning... but they are still nice. I love taking weekend walks in the transition from winter to spring because you get to watch the earth wake up slowly and incrementally until suddenly one day you go out and everything is lush and green and vibrant and full of life, bugs everywhere, flowers everywhere, trees swaying with leafy textures, and the breeze carrying so much allergens you cannot exist.
This season I'd like to figure out the best time to go out for a walk when nature is trying to kill you because I don't want to pause the habit. I enjoy watching the world change colors throughout the year.
CHERRY BLOSSOM WATCH! 🌸🌸🌸 In DC, the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom already! They are big and fluffy. I will probably not see them this year but I still love them and I can share some photos from previous years.
This is a special time of year for me because it's a reminder of how everything renews, even your energy. Spring hasn't quite fully arrived yet even though the equinox has come and gone, but these flowers are still here (early again) to bring a burst of color and joy into our lives for just a few weeks before the petals fall and the trees return to strengthening their roots for the next bloom.
I used to look at it as "death and renewal" like most people but then I read about it and learned that during the warmer months the cherry blossom trees are doing photosynthesis and growing leaves. They are alive and awake all the time. (My skeleton/cherry blossom sleeve still works, since the skeleton is me. One of them is crowded in a circle of branches hiding from everything and shutting everything out, the other one is dancing as the petals fall around them.)
Just like me, even though I spent a lot of my life depressed and low energy. There were moments, bursts of energy that I could muster the strength and motivation to get out, and one of those times was during cherry blossom season. Now I'm more level and regulated throughout the year but it's still a season of renewal, no matter what's been going on.
Not just seeing the trees but also going to the festivities in DC with friends and family. Eating the street foods I love or trying a smoothie flavor I've never had. Randomly seeing someone with a full set of Nargacuga armor from Monster Hunter on the way to the taiko stage. Sometimes I take the walk from Gravelly Point in VA to the Tidal Basin (just a little over 2 mi/3.2 km each way) and find a spot to park myself under a tree and eat a sandwich. When I get back, I watch the airplanes for a while before going home. Sometimes I visit them at night with a friend and we take bad nighttime selfies for fun.
Probably most people who grew up in the DC area/suburbs have formed some kind of relationship with the cherry blossoms, even if they dislike them or are annoyed by the draw of tourists and crowds. I think they are pretty and I think it's pretty cool how flowers can connect so many people worldwide. Also, we get a Japanese street festival out of the deal and then I get to watch a bunch of people play taiko and dance and have the best time.
Anyway, the season has only just begun! Though the flowers will fall soon, the festivities continue well into April. Here is a cherry blossom coloring page that you can download and print if you want to. 🌸🌸