Sakura in Kariya Park

Seriously! How does this happen? 

One minute we are freezing, icing up our house windows as we stare longingly outdoors, straining to spot signs of spring...and hope...and renewal...and most importantly warmth! Then, next thing you see the trees fully laden with leaves, flowers are bursting with blooms and baby animals are scurrying around trying to catch up to mom and dad. 

This year, I somehow missed the transition period of winter to spring. And it's actually my most favourite time of year, because it has so much exciting hope wrapped up in each new bud and each sprouting stem. I too feel like I'm getting a rebirth with the transition of the seasons. Sure, I make New Year's resolution-like plans each January, but in the dark, cold months of winter those plans, as well intentioned as they may be, don't feel possible until the weather starts to change and people start getting outside more. There just feels to be so much possibility in the spring. Is it just me?

To start off my season of hope, for the last two year, I've been partaking in Hanami, which is the act of enjoying the sakura (cherry blossoms) usually with a picnic under the trees. This is a tradition from Japan that is wildly popular and with clusters of these cherry trees all over the GTA (and Canada generally) it is likewise here too. Last year I spotted some of these trees on the side of a road in Brampton and stopped by to enjoy them in my own city. The year before I went to High Park to join everyone else in seeing them there.

Like spring, the sakura are super ephemeral and disappear as quickly as they come. Kariya Park in Mississauga will already look so different from when I took these photos just a couple weeks ago.

There are enough places to enjoy sakura in Toronto and the area, that I think for the next few years I'm set for different places to go for this very brief spring happening.

Do you have a springtime ritual?

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