The Cherry Blossom

Blog Post 8


I forgot what my yard looked like in the spring. Throughout the winter, it was barren. Empty tree branches pointing all different directions. Sharp edges from bare bushes threatened me as I took my dog outside. Plants wrapping around our porch’s edges were dry and brittle, crumbling under a gentle touch. I hated being outside. This winter was particularly bad, having barely snowed. At least when the snow falls it coats everything in a soft layer of white. Without it, everything just looks dead.

With the first beautiful weekend of spring, everything bloomed around me. As I planted lettuce in my side yard, the neighbor’s Cherry Blossom opened above me. It was the first time I ever witnessed a tree bloom in real time. When I started that morning, the tree was nothing but branches and closed off buds. With the sporadic weather the previous week, we were worried whether plants would bloom or not.

It was cool yet sunny on Sunday. The perfect day to do work outside. It was the kind of weather that breathes life into you. It was breathing life into everything around us. I worked under the tree for close to two hours. We had to prepare the ground, loosening the soil up and plotting the garden’s layout. Our work was interrupted when our dog decided to leave the yard and hang out on the patio of a coffee shop down the road. In all the chaos, I never once looked up.

I didn’t look at the tree towering above my head until all my own work was done. I always tend to get lost in what I need to do, don’t stop to enjoy the day. In the time that I was working, the tree above my head blossomed. Beautiful white and pink flowers had bloomed just feet above me. Their flowers opened fully, soaking in the afternoon sun. I didn’t realize how quickly it could happen. There’s something special about getting to be the first eyes on a flower’s bloom.

In this moment, I wished this was my tree. I didn’t know it was a Cherry Blossom. I had never paid it any attention. At least not this winter. It was so beautiful. I wanted to say this is the tree I’ve been waiting months to see. This is what I’ve spent so much time speculating. But it was not. My tree has not bloomed into anything yet. No leaves have grown from its branches. It is going to be a late bloomer. When this tree blossomed in just hours, mine will choose to take days, maybe weeks, before showing any signs of spring life. And I will still be waiting.