I live in the West Midlands. This time of year, for a very short time, the cherry blossoms in Brindley Place, Birmingham, are a riot of pink. I knew all about it, I’ve lived in the region for just under 10 years, but never seen it before. So, on Saturday, I took myself to Birmingham, excitedly, to see what all the fuss was about.
And I don’t know about you, but when you do something that you want to do for a long time, sometimes the reality doesn’t live up to the hype and in a way, that was the case. I think it was partly my fault – I arrived early afternoon. Had I been there earlier, I daresay there would have been fewer people.
I think I was frustrated as I wanted to take some nice pictures (for the ‘gram!), and not have them full of strangers and in reality, that’s what everyone else was doing too! I was trying to patiently wait for posing, so that I could take a few snaps and be on my merry way, but eventually I felt less patient, after the same people had taken their 100th picture!
Sometimes the most beautiful moments ask us to slow down, breathe, and wait our turn.
If this sounds at all relatable, I think really take a deep breath, remind yourself that you’re somewhere that you really wanted to be and try and to make the most of the situation. I can always return another year, and it won’t be a Saturday lunchtime! And yes, I did take some nice pictures in the end – I did get my window of opportunity to snap away.
And you know what, this is life. It’s not perfect, it’s messy, it’s frustrating at times, waiting for things that are beyond our control. And then guess what? We get that moment that if we’re in the right frame of mind, we can take advantage of and it was all worth it in the end.
So next time, be patient, be graceful. Others have also been waiting patiently for their moment and to get their pictures (or whatever the thing is) and there’s time for everyone. Yes, it took longer than I’d wanted but I didn’t have anywhere to be, the sun was out, I’m happy, I’m healthy and I’ve got some lovely photos that I’ll be sharing for a while to come!