Cherry Blossom Time in DC

I didn't get it until this year.  The cherry blossoms  in Washington DC are amazing---really, they are---but part of the experience is understanding that it will only be a few days that thwy cam be appreciated.  You literally have to make your plans around the blooming cycle.  So this year I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Tidal Basin, site of the amazing cherry trees that were a donation on the city of Tokyo to Washington DC, and experience the beauty.  It was so crowded, and you hear speech in many languages, but it is unbelievably beautiful.  I had tears a lot of the time because of the beauty.  I am so grateful that I was able to walk around the Tidal Basin and appreciate these blooms and what they mean.  I recently had the revelation that the message of the cherry blossoms is that events in our lives are fleeting and we must pay attention or they are gone.  The bloom on these cherry trees are visible for a very few days.  You must pay attention or you will miss them.

Remember that.  It has a lot to do with your whole life.. I  have read haiku almost my whole adult life and wondered why the cherry blooms are such a compelling subject.  Now I know.

I did this sketch on a bench looking out to the Jefferson Memorial from one of many vantage points.  This one happened to have an empty bench, which was rare because there were many fans of the blooms present.  It's not my greatest work...but it will always have meaning to me.