That said, when I was out walking & taking photographs of spring's bouquet the other afternoon, I also saw this.
One of my neighbors was systematically going through his yard and the green space on the curb, pulling out offending dandelions and tossing their carcasses on the pavement.
And it made my heart hurt.
Plants jerked from the soil, roots and all; left to die in heaps, like garbage.
I'm not a big fan of the designation "weeds" for many a wildflower. I understand that some people like uniformity and neatness.
But to me, dandelions are pure joy.
How can you not love that brilliant, sunshine yellow. And after the lemony brightness fades, you have a bloom full of wishes waiting to happen.
Where is the bad?
Yet dandelions are cast offs. They are yanked from the earth and scorned. I don't like it. I choose to cherish dandelions no matter how often they are cursed by lawn tyrants. Grass isn't natural. Dandelions are.
One of my favorite snippets of wisdom comes from Thich Nhat Hahn:
I have lost my smile, but don't worry.
The dandelion has it.
Somehow I believe the world would be a better place if we all could keep this thought in mind.
