Ephemeral

I often regret the fleeting beauty of spring. My favorite flowers are Magnolias, but I have a soft spot for all flowering trees. I envy my friends in the Midwest and on the East Coast, spring is just beginning for you. I feel it already ending here in California.

In Japanese culture the cherry blossom represents the ephemeral nature of youth and beauty. I just wish this was something I could accept more easily. I'm not saying I'm particularly concerned about my youth or beauty. But it's the ephemeral nature of the joys of life that I struggle with, that so many joys in life are fleeting as well. I now I should celebrate them while they last, but I somehow always find myself wondering why they can't, wishing there was some way to preserve the cherry blossoms or take a Magnolia from the tree without it falling apart. But these things cannot work. You can only enjoy these things while they live in their own way, there is no taking them or controlling them, or you lose what makes them great.

New Phone

I had to get a new cell phone today because my old one was being very quirky. Of course, now that I've replaced it, it's on its best behavior. I have mixed feelings about the upgrade. On one hand I loathe cell phone companies and hate giving them my money. On the other hand, my new phone has a keyboard, which I'm sure won't be impressive to all you smart phone carriers, but I was using an old razor phone. Now, I loved that phone, and the fact that it was a hand-me-down that my sister got for free. But it was not optimized for texting. And if I was going to have to spend any money on a phone, I decided I may as well get one that made my life easier.