We’ve been stuck in our third lockdown for four months now. Finding enjoyable ways to spend our time at home has been a real struggle, forcing many to experiment with new ways of staying sane. Some of us have even reverted to a few of those hobbies that filled us with joy as a child.
When I was a kid I was obsessed with Lego, and also with trees. So when I found out there was a Lego bonsai cherry tree, I had to get it. My bank account took a beating, but I knew it would be worth it to be have an immortal cherry tree inside my room, just as real cherry blossom was peaking all over town.
Pouring out the bits on the table filled me with a child-like joy that took me back in time ten years – which is also about as long as it took to make it. Putting together a Lego bonsai cherry tree is not easy.
But what about the real cherry? Cherry blossom, or what the Japanese call Sakura, represents renewal and new beginnings. But the fact that the life span of this blossom is beautiful but so means it also symbolises the transience of life. For thousands of years Japanese people have celebrated underneath the cherry blossoms during their bloom. And the falling falling petals are said to represent the lives of fallen samurai who once risked their lives in honour.
Sadly, we only get to enjoy the cherry blossom season for about two weeks, whereas the Lego flowers of my mini cherry tree below will forever be in bloom.