Erin's Journals

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Just a thought… Light as feathers, as fleeting as Zephyr, one moment they breathed pink, the next they faded. Cherry blossoms were as much an inspiration for beautiful verse as they were a reminder of life’s fickleness, she thought. [Alice Poon] 

How slow is life for most of us (except for the frontline workers we so appreciate) these days? It’s big news that High Park in Toronto is going to live stream the cherry blossoms, for those for whom the blossoms are a sign of spring and who’ve gotten such joy from taking in the sweet colours and scents of nature’s glory every spring.

We are gleeful to sit in and watch trees blossom! That’s how slow. (And I’m not making fun, most definitely not; just observing with a smile, not a smirk. Hopefully you know me that well by now!)

Here in the Victoria area, near Sidney, we’re in the midst of a much-needed few days of heavy rain. Already up island there have been fires and we’ve had several weeks of sunshine and dryness. So a few days of rain can’t dampen our already admittedly subdued spirits; we’re grateful for the shelter and, except for a daily dog walk and the occasional careful trip for groceries, we have nowhere to go.

Once again, it’s all perspective. We take nothing for granted these days; the news about the cherry blossom live cams reminds us here to look out and appreciate the blossoms. Like the dogwood tree in our yard that is almost in full bloom. Here it is out our kitchen window.

And the pink petals have begun to litter lawns in the most beautiful way. Here’s a picture from the first spring that we lived here when Molly was truly “pretty in pink.”

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that no matter what happens in our country and our world, inside our homes and our hearts, life does indeed go on. So we look for the rainbows, the blossoms, the birds and the beauty. And we just keep going.

Take good care and I’ll be back with you here tomorrow, my friend.

Rob WhiteheadThursday, April 23, 2020