The Unexpected

I am amazed, but that doesn't describe it. I guess the truth is that I am caught up in Spring this year. The Flowering Crab trees did it to me. This year it seemed as though some of the branches resembled arms reaching up trying to touch the sun that set them free from the winter months. Each arm dazzlingly clothed in beautiful pink blossoms. The kinds of pinks that resemble a child's cheeks when excited or feverish. The kinds of pinks that cosmetic companies spend millions in attempting to duplicate. There is one tree in particular on the back roads on the way to work. It is mature, large for the species and perfectly shaped. No awkward arms thrusting out, just symmetry at creation's best. I had almost forgotten the magic I experienced last spring while driving under it one day. However, yesterday's rain and breeze brought it back to mind.

It was a sunny morning and my timing, while an accident, was perfect. The blossoms were ripe and had been at their peak. The wind blew just as I was approaching and to my amazement (there's that word again that doesn't come close) as if on cue it began to snow perfect pink petals. The air was full of them and I was for a moment driving through a silent shower of absolute unexpected beauty. It could not have been more romantic. The contrast of the fresh green grass and the azure sky and the shock of perfect pink falling all around startled me with the unexpected.

I waited for such a moment this week. I hoped that if I paid attention time would repeat itself. So I put these words together to experience the event from a distance of time rather than space. After all, just how often can amazement cross your path?