The Sakura Trees
#40: Life is the sum of ephemeral moments; cherish each one as it comes.
At the beginning of spring each year, the cherry blossom trees at our office entrance are draped in bright pink flowers. The look like cotton candy, the brown trunk topped with a canopy of pink blossoms. However, this July, they were chopped down. It was ironic; the trees that symbolise the fleeting nature of life were cut down to never bloom again.
These trees brought a sense of calm. The pink flowers against the backdrop of clear blue skies soothed my soul. When the cool, crisp spring air made the petals flutter away from the tree, watching them float down as the wind directed, was incredibly relaxing. Over weeks, the petals from the blossoms showered onto the black mulch below and turned it into a beautiful pink carpet. I could sit across from these trees and watch the wind play with the flowers all day long. It was the perfect setting for nature’s lo-fi music video.
The overlap of spring and winter caused the weather to flip flop from clear blue skies to cloudy days. So at times, when dark clouds blocked the sunshine, there was zero motivation to go to work. I walked from the black tar lined parking lot into the confines of fluorescent lit interiors of my concrete office building. Every morning as I entered the building I thought to myself - ‘Here We Go’, a mantra to get ready for the barrage of meetings I get to attend and the problems that I get to solve. For the short amount of time that the corner of cherry trees was blooming, they provided a bolt of joy that uplifted my soul.
Usually, we don’t pay attention to these mundane things in life, but only realise their importance once they are gone. These small things have a bigger impact on us than we realise. After all, life is the sum of ephemeral moments; cherish each one as it comes.
These cherry blossom trees, known as “Sakura” in Japan, hold deep cultural significance and are cherished symbols of the country. The brief blooming period of cherry blossoms, symbolises the transient nature of life and beauty. So when a Japanese company chose to chop off the Sakura trees, it was sad.
