Beware of the Cherry Trees

This is a photo of my Magnolia tree. It has reached the point of no return -- the blossoms are ready to open into the most spectacular floral display, and I'm constantly checking the weather forecast, worried about the possibility of late spring frost.

It's an old tree, probably more than 60 years old, and has no doubt delighted several generations, each of them watching the buds with anticipation, from early fall when they first appear, through the short days of winter, and finally into the warmer weather of spring, and the return of pollinators.

We lose the joy of seeing the tree in bloom quite often. Last year we had snow in April that turned the blossoms brown, and I had to fight my sinking mood during those days. I wish I had a blanket for my tree for those frosty nights, but the tree is taller than my house, and there's precious little I can do besides hope. The blooms are delicately fragrant, but after the petals shower down they carpet the back lawn, sweetly decomposing, and providing the grass much needed fertilization. The smell at that point is dazzling.

I'm in awe during spring. I plan my travel routes year round by the trees and flowers I want to see on the way. During the spring I keep warning my husband to beware when driving by the cherry trees. There are routes around Philadelphia that are just so gorgeous during the spring; too beautiful to give the task of driving your full attention.

In fact, on one of those splendid days a few years ago, we were driving together on the East River Drive along the banks of the Schuylkill River on our way home from Center City Philadelphia with the weeping cherries heavy with blooms. I was reminding myself to beware of the hypnotic cherry trees, and we stopped at a red light. The car behind us rear-ended us, nothing serious. He was a very nice guy, and he readily admitted that he was looking at the cherry trees a little more than he should.

I hope everyone stops their mundane rush to take in the beauty around us. There are so many gifts around us -- free -- if we just take the time to notice.

This brings me to the Joshua Bell subway experiment.

Gene Weingarten won the Pulitzer Prize for his feature article " Pearls before Breakfast ", written for the Washington Post Magazine.

I read this piece when it came out a couple of years ago, and shared it with my kids-who are a bit young to really appreciate the excellence of Weingarten's writing. But when I mentioned the story again, they remembered exactly what it was about: In an experiment designed by Weingarten, Joshua Bell, one of the greatest virtuoso violinists of our time, played some of the loveliest and most difficult music ever created, on his 300 year old, 4 million dollar Stradivarius at a metro station in DC during rush hour to see whether "ordinary people would recognize genius" when it happened their way.

Joshua Bell has been captivating audiences worldwide, has performed with many leading orchestras and conductors, and won the highest prizes. Normally, people pay $100 to hear Joshua play. His albums sell millions of copies. Besides, he's a good looking guy.

But during the 43 minutes he played incognito at the station, only seven people stopped to listen, if only for a moment. Twenty-seven gave him money, for a total of $32.17. Over a thousand people hurried by, oblivious, not even bothering to look.

Gene Weingarten eloquently discussed how such beauty could be overlooked, and what we can learn from it. Although what happened can be explained many ways, the main reason people miss this and other beautiful things is because we rush. We are always in too much of a hurry.

What does this have to do with health?

I think that setting the rush aside for a moment and taking just a little time to appreciate our world -- nature, the people around us, the arts, good food -- leads to a sense of well-being, and less stress. And if it doesn't improve your health, it's guaranteed to give you pleasure.

Wish my magnolia luck this year.

Dr. Ayala

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