Tonight, walking around the block through the thick humid air with my son held to my chest, I caught my first whiff of jasmine while turning a corner. That, to me, signals the beginning of summer. I love season defining moments like this, annual firsts that mark a distinguishable turning point in the year.
Before coming to Japan, I don’t know what would have marked the end of spring and the beginning of summer for me. No particular scents or sights come to mind. Maybe that’s because a lot of time has past since I last spent a full year in the U.S. Or maybe it’s because these are things that I never noticed before.
I remember hearing my ex-girlfriend’s mother once say as we sat on her porch drinking wine that she loved the moment she first heard the sound of the wind in the leaves every spring. At the time, it was something I had never noticed. But every year after that, I’ve paid attention to the appearance of leaves on trees and have tried hard to notice that moment when they are big enough and full of enough to give a new voice to the wind.
How about all of you? What marks the transition from spring to summer for you?
in the courtyard
a weeping cherry tree
they hold each other
two puzzle pieces
wandering the night
play with a monk
sweeping the temple steps
a chorus silenced
with one step
in front of the shrine
wind chimes
between dandelions
a blue butterfly
Me too, absolutely!
I think mostly it's smells, even though I couldn't necessarily name all of them or what specific thing they are coming from. "Wet, warm asphalt in the rain" would be one for summer. Or the smell of Water, Rivers or Lakes (clean water, not algae fish smells). Dry grass. Flowers.
Scents are so powerful, aren’t they. I associate that warm wet asphalt smell with summer, too. I remember loving it as a child. Sitting outside during warm rainstorms and being surrounded by it, or lying on blacktop, soaking up the warmth it had absorbed while the rain cooled me off.
About two or three weeks ago, I caught a whiff of it and found it to be really disorienting because it was early to middle spring and I associate it so strongly with summer.
...or running through the warm rain.
I guess it is quite a universal feeling/smell of summer, no matter where in the world we grew up. Which gives it quite a lovely connotation, I find.
And yes, I had it this spring. When I was still anticipating some Gray and snowy days and suddenly all the flowers already started to bloom...
...nothing we can do but accept these changes, even if we aren't yet ready for them.
Greetings @boxcarblue ,
Lovely thought provoking post....thank you!
'leading the way
between dandelions
a blue butterfly'
...simply delightful...to think on!
Answer to your query...The blooming of a rose...
Regards to your good lady....Cheers!
The blooming of rose, such a lovely thing. Growing up, I associated that with June, but where I live now they are blooming all around me.
I'm not sure about the smells exactly, till maybe the grass is cut for the first time.
What I notice most though when the tiny leaves appear is how the sun has changed position in the sky and early.... or late.... it throws dancing leaf shadows on the walls inside the house. It does that again in the fall too.
There’s this tree that grows by the river near my house. I don’t know what kind of tree it is, but every spring it grows these translucent pink leaves, which slowly turn a pale sickly white and then green. I’ve never seen this kind of tree anywhere else, but whenever I see those pink leaves, I think, Ahhh, spring is here.
Light, as you said, is another one of those cues.
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Thank you.
One of the first things I remember about coming to Japan was the smells. The air, the incense, the food, so many, different scents that I too never noticed in the US. Jasmine has got to be the best smelling flower there is, especially at night when the scent seems to be stronger.
Cool pictures & words. Hope the fam is doing well. Keep your eyes on Uniqlo and GU, daughter has been doing a lot of modeling for both!
It’s such a great smell at night, isn’t it? It makes me feel like I’m having a romantic moment, or in pursuit of one, even when nothing could be further from the truth. It find it very lusty and foreign.
If I check the Uniqlo and GQ adds, will I be able to recognize your daughter as looking like you?😉
Interesting. I wonder if it is an aphrodesiac?
No, she looks very half and more on the Japanese side. Actually, the adds will be for fall so, a few more months.
I’ll keep my eye out for them. How did she get into modeling?
Wife's friend's friend had an agency so she signed up. We can ask the agency about your neck of the woods if you want. Most jobs are between 200 - 600 a day. We did get one that paid 800.
That's a nice poem, nothing like carrying your son. I remember those good old days when he was little! You must have some water nearby to hear the frogs.
I don't have a way I separate spring from summer, but I'm in Southern California where there isn't much difference except the temperature. Spring temps are always great here, it can get a little hot in summer.
Enjoy your kids while they're young, they grow up way too fast!
I know. Two of them have grown up a lot already and might as well be almost out the door. We had an unexpected surprise a little over a year ago. It’s more like having a grandchild than another one of my own. 🤣
Yeah, because of the rice fields that are everywhere, you can’t get away from water in Japan unless you’re in a major city. Even then, with all the rivers and canals and whatnot, you’re still likely to hear the sound of frogs.
Sounds like living in the Caribbean, we had the coqui frogs all the time. That must be an adventure, another little one at an older age. I started late in the first place, I had my son at 34 and he's already out of the house. I couldn't imagine another one at my age! I bet it's a lot of fun though, I really miss having a little kid around...
This is perhaps one of my favorite times of the year, everywhere is so green, so live.
I love these beautiful poems that capture some of your favorite transitions. Really beautiful, the imagery your words conjure up xxx
Thank you.
It is amazing to see all of the plants and trees so full and lush. You can really feel their energy. It’s so nice!
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