In the cherry blossom’s shade
The cherry blossoms decorate the tidal basin, sometime in the mid 1970’s
“In the cherry blossom’s shade there’s no such thing as a stranger.” — Kobayashi Issa
Have you ever noticed how often people share their excitement at a beautiful landmark or stunning view? Tourists who have never met offer to take photos for each other, handing expensive cameras to total strangers. Except, as Issa says, there’s no such thing as a stranger when you are enjoying natural beauty or fascinating sights.
I lost count of how many times I visited the Golden Gate Bridge while we lived in northern California, but almost every time I went there, I ended up taking photos for people. I always enjoyed snapping photos of visitors who were obviously having a great time and delighted by the view. And people have kindly offered to take photos for Jeff and me everywhere from Spain to Honduras to Canada and many points in between, giving us unique souvenirs to preserve cherished memories.
It’s easy to complain about tourists and crowds, but I love to see travelers discovering places that are familiar to me. And when I’m traveling, I appreciate the hospitality of locals who take pride in the beauty of their hometowns and countries. In such circumstances, one can almost believe that a peaceful world is not an impossible dream.
This post was originally published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: Cherry Blossom Festival, cherry blossom trees, flowering trees, friendship, Japan, springtime, Tidal Basin, Washington DC
Defeat Despair 
I love this post! Such a positive take❤️
Thank you, Arushi! It is lovely to have you visit us. I enjoyed a brief visit to your blog and hope to return there soon.
Thank you Julia!
Good morning, Julia!
It’s so true! We may disagree on a good many things, but we pull together to celebrate beauty!
It’s beautiful even to see all the variety in people as they admire the wonder of an amazing sunset or other breathtaking view.
Peace.
Praise the Lord for peace.
Amen to that. My hope for this current crisis is that most of us (there are always a few nasty people who use any situation as a venue for strife and hate, but let’s not think of them) will appreciate being able to be out and about together, enjoying this beautiful world and not taking anything for granted! I saw a really good meme that said “We all owe 2019 an apology for the things we said about it.” YES! I know that feeling because that’s how Jeff and I felt, in 2012, about 2011.
Wow. Hindsight sure puts things in another perspective.
I have similar hopes to what you expressed for the future. My sister organized a Zoom meeting for my mom yesterday, inviting my uncle, aunt, cousin, and all my mom’s grandkids. It was lovely to see everyone. Without the pandemic, we may not have all find the time, but now we’re looking at making it a regular thing.
Susan, I hope you’ve been able to continue your Zoom meetings. Through meeting with three different churches where we have attended in the past, I’ve been able to “see” people I normally don’t see but maybe once a year, if that. Silver linings.