I am looking outside at my yard. It is not manicured to perfection like the other yards in my neighborhood. Little yellow dots are sprinkled around in my grass. Dandelions! (Gasp!) The dreaded word of the suburban community!
I must admit I never got really bent out of shape over dandelions. I suspect it's because I have always been side tracked by multi-tasking other things and being consumed by the demands of life in general. If I have taken the time to cut the grass, I have always reasoned that I'm doing okay. It may also have just a tiny bit to do with the fact that I'm allergic to dandelions. When they are in bloom and I go outside, I sneeze and wheeze and my eyes puff up. (Good reason not to manicure my lawn, is it not?)
Recently, I've been thinking about weeds. They are so common and they actually have many excellent reasons for being alive. Of course, that depends on your outlook. But I choose to remain positive! Therefore, when I look at a dandelion I see many wonderful things. For one, I know they make great tea and wine, although I have never made any! They also make good salads, I hear. Never tried that either, though. Dandelions are colorful and quite cute in their own right. I have decided they are here for a reason. And prevalent for a reason.
Just as the "weeds" in our lives; people we don't get along with, irritating situations that occur and annoying botherances that we must deal with day to day, dandelions teach us how to be happy among the weeds. As significant as their annoyance can be, they, along with the "weeds" of life can be great teachers for us. We can be eternally irritated or complacently peaceful with the weeds surrounding us-the choice is up to us. What a wonderful thing it is to learn to be happy among the weeds! So what if there's a field of dandelions next door? Things could definitely be much worse. I admit, if my yard was manicured to perfection, the dandelions would bother me a lot more. But that would just give me more practice at acceptance and peaceful contemplation! A changed, more positive, "internal outlook" makes every aspect of life better and brighter!
Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that weeds are quite useful. (No, that is not an excuse to ignore my lawn!) They help us to grow by being prevalent in our lives; they teach us patience and stamina! Maybe that's why they're here in such high concentrations-to point us toward paths of happiness and peace. Sometimes a little altered perspectives can go a long way! And all of us could use more time to enjoy the important things in life rather than spending our excess time fighting weeds!
Next time you take a look out the window and have a nagging desire to begin grumbling, think about the positives. You may just find yourself spraying the dandelions less and enjoying them a bit more! Who knows? Anything is possible!