If you’ve ever seen a bright yellow dandelion flower growing in your yard, you might be wondering what these flowers are and whether they’re beautiful flowers to keep around – or weeds that need to be removed.
Observance
Despite their reputation as a yard-ruining weed, dandelion flowers actually have a number of uses. For example, the dandelion root can be roasted and brewed into a coffee-like beverage. Additionally, dandelion leaves are edible and can be used in salads or cooked like spinach. The flowers themselves are also edible and can be used to make jelly.
One interesting fact about dandelions is they are not native to North America. They were actually introduced by European settlers in the 1600s, but quickly naturalized and spread throughout the continent. Dandelion seeds are specially designed to catch the wind for dispersal, which is why they can be found almost anywhere.
The word dandelion is a corruption of the French phrase “dent de lion,” which means “lion’s tooth” and refers to the plant’s coarse-toothed leaves.
Insight
When a dandelion’s white seed heads are blown away, it is often seen as a symbolic act associated with wishes, hopes and dreams. The action of blowing the seeds represents the act of releasing one’s desires into the universe, with the belief that they may come true. It is a metaphorical representation of letting go, embracing possibilities and putting faith in the unseen forces of life. Blowing a dandelion’s seeds can symbolize the act of sending out one’s intentions and trusting in the potential for their fulfillment.
The humble dandelion is a symbol of hope, love and happiness. The bright yellow color of its petals represents the sun shining on all the good deeds in your life. The black seeds of this plant are said to carry wishes for prosperity and new beginnings with them as they fly away into the sky.
They can even be viewed as symbols of a free-spirited soul, of innocence and of playfulness. Additionally, dandelions are often thought of as a symbol for hope and resilience. The dandelion is able to survive anything from harsh winters, pollution, drought, being stepped on or run over by cars. They can quickly bounce back from adversity and continue to grow -- a lesson for all of us.
Here’s a poem written by a good friend of mine, David Wade, who lives here in McMinnville:
The Dandelion
Golden blossom in the sun,
Why is she scorned by everyone?
This little flower of the field;
This drop of sunlight ne’r to yield.
Some would say that she’s a weed,
Rightly so, a weed indeed,
But beauty rests within her green,
And closely looked it would be seen.
Consider how her fight for life,
Through poisons, heat and gardener’s knife.
Is there a lesson we can learn
About this bloom we often spurn?
Could it be that no matter what,
Rich, or poor, what er’ our lot
That we are like this amber spray,
Reaching up to God each day.
And just as she, we never quit.
We fight, and grow until we sit
With God the Father in His power,
And there with us this little flower.
Take then, this flower of the field,
This golden ray that will not yield.
Bend your knee, and as you reach her
Ask yourself, a weed, or teacher.
Whenever we see this wildflower pushing through a crack in concrete, we marvel at its determination to thrive. A seed landed in a difficult spot, but it has the tenacity to grow and bloom anyway.
We feel the same rush of admiration for trees that spring up after a devastating fire.
Many of us are like those determined seeds, those persistent trees. We’ve found ourselves in a difficult spot, or we’ve experienced a devastating tragedy: financial or health losses, death of loved ones, lost opportunities. Can we possibly grow and bloom in such conditions?
It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop. Our attitude really can make all the difference.
And we all know people whose early childhood seemed to set them up for failure, yet they defied the odds and joyfully built a happy, successful life. In their adversity, they learned to forgive, to take responsibility for their own growth and to be resilient. As the expression goes, instead of cursing the rain, they built a boat.
Among the many things we can’t choose about our life, we can always choose our goals, our work ethic and our attitude. Even setbacks, though we’d never choose them, can be blessings when they lead us to explore other avenues. In time, we feel grateful for the better job we found after we were laid off or the compassion we feel toward the grief-stricken after our own period of grieving.
Helen Keller is a remarkable example of someone who overcame the incredible disadvantages of being both blind and deaf. She not only learned to sign and speak; she also became a worldwide inspirational leader. From her unique perspective, she observed, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” (Helen Keller, Optimism: An Essay (1903), 17.)
Southern Standard contributor Cordell Crawford can be contacted at crawfordcordell@yahoo.com
