Dandelions

I love dandelions. I think I love them because they are different depending on your perspective. To some, mostly adults, a dandelion is merely a disruptive weed, yet in the eyes of a child a Dandelion is a beautiful flower and one of life's simple pleasures. On a recent walk I observed a young boy pick up a dandelion from his front yard and give it to his mother. The most interesting part of the interaction was how the mother reacted to her son's gift. In an informative tone she explained to her son that a dandelion was not a flower at all, and that he should not blow on them because doing so only lead to more weeds in the yard. Isn't it interesting how two people can look at the same dandelion and see two different things? In the eyes of the boy, he had found something beautiful. As we become adults, we lose touch with our child like acceptance of the world and of ourselves. We become critical of beauty. Children seem to understand that just because a dandelion is a weed doesn't exclude it from being beautiful. Can you image how, if applied to our lives, this concept could change how we view ourselves? Just because you aren't perfect, just because you are different, or just because others don't accept you does not exclude you from being beautiful. We are all like dandelions and we are all beautiful.