On Thursday, during my conversation class, I posed a simple question to my students. I asked them what season they liked the least. I wanted them to work on expressing negative sentiments as well as the usual positive ones. I got the usual range of answers from Summer (Because it’s too hot) to Winter(Because slipping and dying isn’t all that fun.) One of my students, however, said that he really disliked spring. I was taken aback by this statement. I asked him why he thought spring was such a bad season. He told me that in Japan, spring is the season for parting ways. Schools have their graduation ceremonies and companies will soon be transferring their employees to different branch offices. He said that most of the sad memories in his life were during the spring time.
I had never thought of spring like that before. For me, Spring has always been a happy season. However, this spring I have had to do some parting of my own. Some of it was my own doing, while I guess other things sort of just happened. You never want to have to part ways, but I guess that is something we cannot choose. For the first time in my life Spring has left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.
I’m sure it’s a sadness that will soon be parting as well, as the cherry blossoms slowly find their way out in the first light of spring. As I reflect on those old ties that seem to have lost their bindings, I hope that some of them might still have reason to hold together, while I will bid farewell to those that have forever slipped apart and into the darkness. I eagerly await those cherry blossoms.
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