"As I grow older, I see that, like the warrior, we are really not here on earth very long. Before the great warlord Oda Nobunaga set out into the battlefield he often recited the lines from the Noh play, Atsumori: "Man's life is but a 50 year span and passes like a mysterious dream. . . ."
Just like the cherry blossom, as we begin to mature we are already blown away by even a gentle breeze. All warriors understand this. But we have lost this beautiful sentiment today. I think this is why we waste so much today and take so much for granted. We never appreciate anything because we think we always have it - and as much as we want as well! If we begin to realize that nothing is permanent, maybe we will begin to appreciate everything a little more. Maybe if we realize that it is not only the cherry blossom that is so fleeting in life that we will not take so much for granted. There is only one opportunity to learn Aikido and that is now!
From the famous military classic, the Heike Monogatari: "The rise and fall of the samurai passes like the saffron blossoms and fades like the ringing of the bell at Gion Temple. . . .""