March 2022 Screen Scenes
A serendipitous thing happened the other day. I was checking my Instagram when I came across a beautiful Japanese word, “oubaitori”, and I instantly fell in love with it. The timing of learning this new vocabulary may just be a source of confidence and comfort in these times.
Oubaitori is written as 桜梅桃李 in Japanese. Each kanji character stands for a different springtime blossom: cherry, plum, peach, apricot. Each flower blooms at a different time and in a different way and the concept of oubaitori is very much the same way.
Oubaitori, then, is the idea that people, like flowers, grow in their own time, own pace, and in their own unique ways. With social media resulting to people comparing themselves to what they see on their feed - and consequently feeling that they are lacking, failing, or simply not enough - the concept of oubaitori encourages us to focus on our own growth and honor our own pace. It allows us to take all the time we need and to recognize that it’s okay to grow slow. We all will still bloom under the same smiling sun.
And so for this month’s screen scenes, I’m offering all of you lovelies 5 (yes, 5!) motivational screen scenes to choose from instead of the usual 1 offering. Learning about oubaitori could not have come at a better time and I really embraced this concept. My wish is that from the 5 offerings, at least one will whisper to you that you ought to be really kind to yourself and to be grateful for what you have.
This month’s to-do list also has us slowly welcoming warmer temperatures. I like changing our curtains at home to spring-themed ones and I have also just finished spring cleaning my wardrobe. I have been eating a seasonal favorite - strawberries! - and will spend the rest of the month finding comfort in the fact that I am enough and I encourage you to do the same.
I wish you all a lovely March!
