Dandelions have become fascinating to me. From our front yard on a sunny May Saturday

Persistence

I’m a little scattered today. I am used to a certain routine on the days I write, and that has been thrown into a bit of chaos. Ok, chaos may be too strong, but to me it is. Normally, I get up, give the kittens their treats, get my Emergen-C water, do my daily reflection book, take my blood pressure, and then write. Sometimes there may be a little extra cat-bonding time, but usually the pattern is pretty set. I do this all while the rest of the family is still in bed.

Today, my wife got up while I was giving the cats their treats. So while she was making breakfast, which I appreciate, I started doing laundry, and it threw off everything else I do. I am a slight bit out of sorts because of it. As much as I try to practice mindfulness in all I do, I am still very much a creature of habit, and when thrown off, I tend to forget things, feel more rushed than I like, make mistakes, or be not satisfied with the end results of what I do.

I know that if I were better at mindfulness, none of this would bother me as much as it does. I have made progress, and that is the best I’ve been able to do so far.

Yesterday, while we were sitting outside trying to sell some things at our rummage sale, I looked at the massive amount of dandelions in our yard that have gone to seed. I saw them and took a few pictures because the more I thought about them, the more I realized how interesting and persistent they were.

Our neighbor told my wife he hates dandelions, but I have never been bothered by them. I have also never really thought a lot about them until recently. They offer a lot of good things for pollinators, especially right now, early in the summer. A lot of them have gone to seed, and as much as I am not a fan of the seeds blowing up into my face, I was struck by the brilliance and sheer persistence of them to spread and be reborn in waves over the summer.

Not every seed needs to take, and I would guess that a lot of them don’t. But due to the sheer number and heartiness of the dandelion seed/plant, they can take over a yard or field pretty quickly.

For me, that shows a lot of resilience and persistence in life. I don’t believe that everything we try needs to be a success, and, just like dandelion seeds, I am sure they have adapted what worked to succeed over time. Sometimes, change is hard, but taking the time to see what works and what needs to change will aid our persistence as we, like the seeds, blow through the winds of life.