I was feeling a little bit “off” this morning – a little bit sad and wobbly and lacking in enthusiasm. Certainly not my favorite way to start a day, or a week for that matter.
It got me thinking about balance. About how we know when things are off, and what we do to right them. About how wholeness contains everything. And what we’re really doing in life is forever altering our perspective.
And because I believe we live in a beautiful benevolent universe filled with helpful messages, I paused for a minute and listened. I was called outdoors, which I’m sure is always a good thing, but most especially useful when looking for balance.
The very first thing I saw was a lone dandelion in the grass, and I had to laugh.
Dandelions are all about perspective. They’re bright and cheerful, famous for their great herbal remedy magic, and the epitome of tenacious survival; they’re also greatly disdained as obnoxious weeds.
So first reminder: we’re always in charge of how we respond to things. I needed a dose of cheer, and that little ball of sunshine was standing there daring me not to smile. Who was I to resist?
Ever wonder about the etymology of dandelion? It comes from French dent de lion, meaning lion’s tooth, and refers to the way the dandelion’s leaves resemble to toothy snarl of a roaring lion. Seriously, how can you not smile at that?
But when you consider a dandelion it’s almost impossible not to think about it in its two forms – that bright yellow ball of cheer and its ghostly white seed puff self. Whenever I consider that, I think about this wonderful quote from Vladimir Nabokov:
“Most of the dandelions had changed from suns into moons.”
Isn’t that wonderful? And doesn’t that expand how you think about dandelions? Containing those two disparate images – sun and moon.
As cheery as the sunny flower is, the seed puff is fun as well. Did you know each of the tufts is called a pappus, meaning old man/grandfather because they look like little white beards? And when all the seeds have blown off, what remains on the stem is called a monk’s head because it resembles a bald pate.
While I always think of the seed balls as puffs, they’re also known as clocks. Kids have long played the game of blowing on the puff and counting the number of blows it took to disperse all the seeds to tell what time it was. I thought that was the origin of the association of dandelions with clocks, but recently I read something else as well. Lore has it that the flowers open up at five minutes past five in the morning and close nine minutes past eight at night. I haven’t tested that, but if someone wants to volunteer to do the morning observation, we’d love to hear your report.
To round out my little tribute to the mighty dandelion, here’s the Deloreans singing Dandelion.
So what do you think – are you weighing in on the side of dandelions being mini marvels or not-so-pretty pests? Or are you more of a sun person or a moon person? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
I’m linking to Lori Moon’s May Flower Challenge – check it out.
I’ll never look at dandelions the same again. Loved all the knowledge, especially the sun/moon info. It’s funny how kids always think they are flowers and adults consider them weeds. I don’t and love that my yard is covered in them.
Thanks!
kathy
Yay for yards of dandelion celebration! And yay for kids’ ways of seeing things.
I’m in love with dandelions – especially when they turn to puffs and the seeds blow away. I am smiling and re-reading your post. Thank you for sharing.
I always smile when they blow and wonder if the breeze is trying to figure out the time.
Wow, this is such a wonderful post. And what is amazing is that my daughter is really just discovering this flower now as the spring of her 2nd year is in bloom. She pronounces it, dah-ne-li-ah and the other day I gave her one and she said…”Oh WOW” and I thought, when do we loose that reaction to this flower. Is its beauty lost in its common-ness. Why should the beauty be lost as we age. So I took this on to showing her and exploring them with her. The baby ones the bigger ones and the design of each. They are magical when you stop to look at them – they transform from weeds to flowers as our perception of them shifts.
Wonderful post.
Thank you!
Oh Liz – I love hearing this. It’s so delightful to re-see things through the beautiful eyes of children! And I love how you’re returning the blessing to your daughter by steeping her in the magic. How fun!
Deborah everything in life is perspective and you’ve totally transformed mine on our yard full of dandelions! Thank you! Now I will celebrate them! xo
LOL – love that Belinda!
That’s an awesome quote. I just learned a new tangle that features the dandelion too. Must be a dandelion week. 😀
Oh how fun Arwen. And now you’ve intrigued me. I hadn’t actually realized there were patterrns for Tangles, I thought they were entirely spontaneous.
Oh Deborah!
What lovely memories I have around dandelions! Making a wish, and blowing until all the little puffs are gone. I love the little facts you shared and I too will never look at them the same way again. Beautifully written, dear friend. Can’t stop smiling!
Thanks so much for stopping by Cindy. I’m smiling that you’re smiling. And how fun was it when we saw a dandelion puff we just knew we could make a wish. No complicated thinking, just joyful wishing.
I love flowers and they always have been more of pretty flower to me than pests. Thank you for sharing the video and would love to do the flower challenge, but I need to keep pressing on other task right for the rest of this month. Thank again for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by Cindy. Maybe you can do your own flower challenge some time if that interests you. I’m all about following your heart and taking good care of yourself.
LOVE it! You elevated the lowly, often despised weed to its rightful place! The dandelion was the first flower our daughter picked for me! I have a treasured photo of the event.
Even though I knew every seed would be a new plant…it was too much fun blowing the puffs!! So my children and I blew till we were rolling on the grass in laughter.
Thank you for stirring up such fond memories of years long gone by!
Oh I love the vision of your celebrating dear dandelion with your kids – totally makes me smile in delight. And receiving one from your daughter – now that’s a precious gift indeed!
I love dandelions and your knowledge shared here has deepened those feelings even more. I love learning new things, especially when it’s about something that has meaning to me. Thank you.
It really is a delight when we can deepen our knowledge and understanding isn’t it? And when it’s in a kind of unexpected manner that makes it all the more fun, at least for me. I feel so grateful for the webs and all the fun ways to dance with stuff we’re interested in.