April fifth is Arbor Day (Sikmogil 식목일) in Korea. It is the time to plant a tree. It used to be a national holiday because the tree issue in the country was so serious. Now it is still remembered but not as a vacation day.
When I first came to Seoul 20 years ago I felt really sick the after a couple months. A friend came to visit me and brought me to a mountain behind the campus I lived by.
I noticed what I was missing all that time. It was the trees. At the time the city had not planted many trees. But there were a few places in the city where trees were planted after the war.
The city of Seoul was almost flattened by the Korean war but year after year Koreans planted trees. At times there wasn't enough food to eat but seeds were planted.
Now there are trees all over Seoul and arboretums and parks. I'm really thankful to walk around our house and find trees. It's from these trees I found my health back then and I come back there again every day.
The song that gets me in the mood for Labor Day is Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot
Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples,
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now, they paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not?
Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Well, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey hey hey
Paved paradise and put up a parking lot
I don't wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna giving it all away
Hey, hey, hey
Now you wanna give it
I should wanna give it
Cos you giving it all away
Hey, hey, givin it all,
Givin it all... away
If we can't plant a tree today at least take some time to appreciate the trees that are here. I really do and I'm alive today because of the air and restoration they gave me.