Spring

Last night in Osaka while The Man and I were negotiating the crowds near the train station, a space opened up magically ahead of a large man in a business suit walking very fast and humming loudly and aggressively like an oversized beehive while waving his arms. The Man and I looked at each other and grinned.

"Some people go a bit crazy in spring," said The Man.

"Really? Spring causes it?" I asked.

"Yes. Haven't you noticed?"

"Well... I saw the Barking Boy coming out of a noodle shop yesterday laughing, and I've never seen him laugh before."

"Because it's spring," The Man said.

"But he was also carrying a one-cup sake in his hand," I said. "And anyway, is laughing more or less crazy than barking?"

"More, if you're a Barking Boy and barking is what you usually do," he said. "But think of Ms Okashi,¹ for instance."

I thought about our old friend. Was she especially crazy in spring? Wasn't she crazy most of the time?

"Was it spring when she bought herself a wheelchair so she could practice for when she's old?" I asked.

"Must have been," he said.

"But doesn't she try to give us weird gifts at any time? I mean, I don't remember it being particularly in spring," I said.

"It's mostly in spring. She is extra crazy in spring," The Man asserted.

I hadn't noticed that.

The humming man's waving arms disappeared into the crowds ahead of us, and I continued to wonder about the spring-crazy connection. Do some people really go crazy in spring? Do I, maybe? Is this one of those things you don't notice when you're doing it yourself?

This morning the phone rang very early. It was a takubin (delivery) guy, wanting to deliver a large carton. Ms Okashi has sent us several large bottles of extremely expensive sake. She knows that neither of us drinks sake, but I guess spring made her forget.



The cherry blossoms were lovely today over in the park on the other side of the station. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow. Spring may make the less stable of our friends a little crazy, but there are compensations.




^{1. Not her real name.}