Cherry Blossoms and Taxes

Greetings all!

What do cherry blossoms and taxes have in common? They are both fleeting! Cherry blossoms with their transient beauty are a reminder that nothing lasts. Of course, rarely do we rejoice in the tax season but remember - it too shall pass. 

Cherry blossoms are also tied to a Buddhist idea of being mindful and living in the present moment. Our lives are fleeting so we should pay attention and live each moment with joy!

Cherry blossoms symbolize beauty but also mortality. The samurai, the Japanese warriors, were taught to embrace the inevitable end of their short lives without fearing it. It is believed that a fallen cherry blossom was a symbol of a samurai’s short life. According to Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, a Japanese-American anthropologist, the samurai and later other Japanese soldiers were told “You shall die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor.”

Cherry blossoms, of course, feature in a lot of Japanese poetry. Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form, with 17 syllables translated in English as 5-7-5 syllables on 3 lines. Isn't this poem by poet Buson lovely?

Petals falling

unable to resist

the moonlight

I thought the two poems below will make accountants smile:

O springtime twilight…

Precious moment

Worth to me a thousand pieces

~Sotoba

Reply:

O summer twilight…

Bug-depreciated

To a mere five hundred

~Kikaku

If you are working on a difficult project or dealing with something challenging in your life, remember – it is not forever.  And to you, my samurai accounting friends - I hope you survived the busy season! Drop me a line!