Was I the only one who didn't know? The day I encountered maple flowers
Hello, this is Dekoboko Obaba.
When you've lived a long time, you start to feel like you know most things.
But every now and then, I surprise myself, thinking, 'Wait, I didn't know that?'
These days, I find such small discoveries to be quite delightful.
Have you ever seen a maple flower?
This is a maple flower.
When I first saw it, I was also
staring at it for a while, thinking, 'Huh? Is this a flower?'
Tiny, tiny flowers, about 3 to 5 millimeters in size.
They look just like lily of the valley, shrunk down,
sitting there, one after another.
What's more, they are the same color as the leaves,
so if you don't look closely, you won't notice them at all.
I felt like I had gotten a little lucky,
thinking, 'So something this cute was hiding in a place like this.'
I asked AI, and it gave me the answer right away.
I was curious, so I asked AI about it immediately.
Then,
'It is a maple flower.'
……it said, quite simply.
Wait, that's it?
I felt a bit let down, but at the same time,
I was strangely happy, thinking, 'I knew it!'
This 'simultaneous feeling of surprise and joy'
was an indescribable moment.
My friends' reactions were also interesting.
I told my friends about it right away.
I asked, 'Did you know that maples bloom?'
Then one of them said, quite casually,
'I know.'
……Whaaaat!?
What a difference in reaction!
I couldn't help but smile wryly.
I thought to myself, "I was so moved, yet this is the reaction?"
I gave a little mental jab.
But, there were others who didn't know either
However, another friend said,
"I didn't know that, thank you."
It was a happy reaction.
I felt relieved, somehow.
"Ah, I wasn't the only one," I thought.
No matter how old you get, there are always discoveries
I really felt it this time.
That there are still so many things I don't know,
no matter how old I get.
And that little surprise and joy
when you realize it.
Even if they aren't big events like when I was young,
I feel like these small discoveries
make my days a little richer.
Come to think of it,
I wrote about the time I saw the maple flowers
somewhere else, too.
I didn't write anything major,
but please take a look if you're interested.
If you'd like,
why not try looking for the "things you hadn't noticed"
around you?
You might find that
a small wonder is hidden right nearby.