A spring state of mind

DC’s cherry blossom trees are the definition of a gift that keeps on giving. When the mayor of Tokyo gifted 3,000 trees to the US capitol over a century ago, he was really giving us the centerpiece for a celebration. As people gather around cherry trees in places across Japan, China, and other lucky parts of the world, in DC, people pour into the parks and along the Potomac River for a festival to welcome Spring.

My first Spring in DC, I missed the festivities. The blooms opened just a few weeks after the pandemic began. I checked the “cherry blossom cam” on my computer to see a hazy arial livestream. Underwhelming, to say the least. This year, when the blossoms arrived, it was as if for a week we could see the world through rose-tinted glasses: the pandemic reality faded behind the lens of Spring’s signature hopefulness. I joined other (mostly masked) people coming out to celebrate under flowering magnolias, dogwood, and ornamental cherry trees.

Despite our annual anticipation, the cherry trees often manage to pull off a surprise. This year, a warmer-than-expected week led the trees to jump into bloom early, reaching a peak a full week ahead of predictions. In fact, we never even recognize “peak bloom” — the time arborists declare that 70% of the blossoms are open—until after it’s past, and only a few days till the flowers are on their way out. We might not be experts at forecasting them, but we’re the reason they keep making their entrance earlier — and why they could easily become endangered.

As climate change continues to get worse, shrinking spring, the cherry blossoms come sooner. Their arrival signals not only new life, but also the existential threat facing life on earth. Our increasingly early celebration of the trees — just like our pleasure on an unseasonably warm day or our joy at an unexpected snow — doesn’t account for the full story. In much the same way, as we celebrate the U.S. vaccine rollout in the midst of Spring, we must remember that suffering continues, that scars remain. 

Given this bleak picture, what do we make of the cherry blossoms and their week-long glory? Perhaps the trees’ short showcase remind us that we’re not supposed to wear Spring’s rose-colored glasses forever. And yet cherry blossom-lenses are nonetheless precious. They help us see the worn-down world not as it is, but as it should be— a vision we desperately need as we work towards collective recovery. Ever the gift, cherry blossom trees offer a window into a world where we can, and should, celebrate — even as it is being made true.