The Dandelion

     Here is a blog that I posted four years ago when I took an online writing course at Mohawk College.  Since it is May, and dandelions dot the landscape, I thought it would be appropiate to post it again.

The Dandelion
(May 24, 2007.)

     Dandelions remind me of my daughter.  Rather than calling them dandelions, she calls them flowers.  She picked me a bouquet at the park; she picked me a bouquet at her daycare; she picked me a bouquet in a soccer field.  She picks them wherever she goes.  I saw dandelions in a new way this Spring thanks to my daughter.  Adults smell roses, but she smells dandelions.  She inhales them so deeply that she ends up with a yellow moustache.  She truly does take the time to smell the "roses".  It's amazing how children get such enjoyment from the simple things in life.  When I look at a dandelion, I think of picking up my daughter at the daycare and being greeted with a beaming smile and a bouquet of dandelions.

     In the Mediterranean countries, locals include dandelions as part of the cuisine in dishes such as soups and salads.  They are completely edible and contain a lot of Vitamins A and D.  And yet here in North America,  we douse them with weed killer.  Furthermore, dandelions can be used as a diuretic.  The French term for dandelion, "pissenlit", means to wet the bed.  Regardless of what you call it, the dandelion is a strong plant that is more useful than I realized.

     One dandelion is an eyesore.  However, a field of dandelions is quite pretty.  Imagine -- they don't even cost a penny and yet they provide children with hours of enjoyment.  I am glad that my daughter took the time to stop and pick the dandelions.  She reminds me everday of what matters most in life.  Most people long for roses, but I prefer dandelions.  I will forever see them in a different light, thanks to my daughter.  She is my "little dandelion".

Photo below taken from http://www.shutterstock.com/ (copyright BestPhoto1).