Dandelion

Go confidently into the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined.

~Henry David Thoreau

One sunny winter afternoon, I was walking my dog just after I had finished meditating. I was all blissed out in a euphoric state when I noticed a dandelion among the blades of grass at my feet. I stopped to reach for it, but my ninety-pound dog was still in motion and yanked me just as I was going to touch it. I then had to ask myself, how much do I want that weed? You see, that’s what dandelions are; they are weeds. Beautiful ones at that. I decided I really wanted it so I encouraged my dog to backtrack which took some effort until I could finally reach my prize; my dandelion weed.

I looked at this harmless weed. I really wanted to blow on it and watch its magic. Bigger than that, I thought it was a great metaphor for life. When we have weeds in our lives, we have a choice to disregard them or discover their lessons. We can find strength when we feel weak, fin

d courage within fear and discover personal growth. We grow so much that our weeds can sometimes bring new seeds that bloom gifts into our lives. Eventually, we can look back and thank the weed, because without it we wouldn’t grow to new heights. Just like love and fear or light and dark, we can’t appreciate the triumph, the good stuff, without the failure and struggle.

Back to the dandelion weed in my hand. The sun was warm on my skin; so warm, it felt like spring in winter, and I felt a surge of new beginnings. I looked closer. The white fluff danced in the breeze, as the sun glistened on it, creating silver shimmers. It was all I could do to not blow and see what would come next.

Just like in life, our weeds can be inspected, and we can become curious and learn from them. I finally decided to blow and with one breath I watched as multiple seeds dispersed like little spinning umbrellas all

over the grass and even up into the sky so far that I couldn’t see where they landed. This weed was now multiple seeds that would give more life and possibility to the future

If I take the lesson from this moment in the sun, I not only receive a beautiful meditation that I get to share, but I also learn a valuable lesson in a simple moment in nature.

I did some research and discovered that the dandelion has captivated others with its magic.

I learned that the seeds can travel as far as five miles, and that they open with the sun and close with the darkness of night. My discovery in a simple piece of nature offered many insightful lessons, but it’s the reminder to slow down and pay attention to the gifts all around us that strikes me the most. They say that nature is our greatest teacher. What can you learn?

Daily Mantra

Nature is Simple and Pure