I don’t know about you, but if you’re reading this in the UK, it feels a lot like spring has sprung. Temperatures approaching double digits most days, the daffodils are coming out…it’s definitely just around the corner.

I know that spring is about to, err, sprung, because the cherry blossom in my town told me so. One in particular, which I see most days. This giant tree gives off great trails of white confetti at this time of year over the course of a few weeks. And then it stops, and turns a rich ruby red as the weather improves like a maturing wine, peaking in mid-summer as a vibrant red before turning more pedestrian and beginning the whole process again.

This ‘tree appreciation’ is refered to as Hanami in Japanese. I’ve popped a little video about it below; when it’s focused on cherry trees, it is known as ‘sakura’. Do take the time to watch a bit of the video, if only for the Attenborough-lite voice-over.

As I get older, and life barrels on like a runaway train, I find a great deal of comfort in the act of taking time to appreciate it. To stop and watch the cherry blossom (the more hipster way of smelling the roses!). To appreciate how impermanent it all is, and how quickly time seems be moving.

I don’t know whether it’s the covid period, or whether it’s having more than one child, but life seems to have had the fast forward button pushed down since 2018. Hanami, or just the practice of stopping to see, feel and think - helps reset the dial. I refuse to call it mindfulness, but just taking the time to be more aware of what’s happening - whether it’s cherry blossom, a pattern in the clouds or the shape of my oldest child’s hands - it all seems to reset the dial a little bit.

It also provides a helpful antidote to the the desire to maximise life, whether that’s packing your / your kids’ lives full with stuff. I don’t want to maximise. I want to see the universe in a grain of sand. I want to daydream, I want to imagine new possibilities. I want to immerse myself in things deeply, falling down countless rabbit holes until I find myself somewhere very different to where I started.

I’ve decided i’m going to sign off every post with a bit of music. So here’s number one.