Coronavirus and Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms in Tohoku, 2019 – Photo Credit: Hanako Henty

It’s the beginning of cherry blossom season here in Japan. Typically, this is when people gather outside in the warm sun and take comfort in gazing at the flowering trees. This year, of course, things are a little different. Reporters on television discourage viewers from visiting crowded parks due to the coronavirus, and soon after, interview others who smile and explain on camera that they think it’s worth the risk to come outside and gaze at the beautiful cherry blossoms. Where I live in rural Japan, people are exercising some degree of caution. Folks are wearing masks and not shopping as much. Yet I feel a level of urgency that I do not observe in the people around me. Schools remain open, and everyone still goes to work everyday.

Just as people patiently await the cherry blossoms each year, I wish we could channel that same patience to properly rest, shelter, and take the steps necessary to fight the pandemic. We can’t demand the cherry blossoms to bloom ahead of schedule. In the same way, we can’t demand that the coronavirus go away so that we can resume our regular routines. If only it were that simple…

Today I was pressured into eating donuts with some colleagues after a busy morning of moving desks and other furniture. The gesture of eating together was sweet, the questioning eyes when I tried to retain some distance as I ate was not. I simultaneously felt guilty for being less friendly and infuriated with myself for breaking with my decision to maintain physical distance at work. I don’t want to have to choose between being sociable or safe. And I want the people around me to wake up to the coming pandemic and treat it with the seriousness it deserves. There are so many people suffering all over the world right now. We need to do our part to help and to heed their warnings before it is too late.

I wonder, how are we going to get through 2020? What do I need to be doing right now?

I’m a little frightened. But I also realize that there are some steps I can take to try to protect those I love:

1. Stay calm, because someone has to, and it might as well be myself.
2. Stay away from others. Don’t be afraid of becoming socially ostracized. They will be grateful later.
3. Stay at the piano as long as possible and channel my inner anxiety into my musical work.
4. Stay in touch with people I care about. Every day, make sure I reach out to at least one person to tell them that I’m thinking about them.
5. Stay as healthy as possible. Take care of myself in little ways too.

As I was writing this post, I heard a bird outside my window. It was such a sweet sound. I stopped what I was doing for a moment to enjoy that sound as long as I could. I hope you get to hear some bird songs today too.

H.H.

Cherry blossom trees and a nearby pond in Tohoku, 2019 – Photo Credit: Hanako Henty