Dandelions

By Madyson Trama 

A dandelion seed can travel up to 100 kilometers (about 62.14 mi.) That little white fuzz that tickles your skin can travel everywhere. Not knowing where it is going to end up next, but still making the journey anyway. A dandelion seed stays put together, that is until a gust of wind or a curious individual looking to make a wish comes along to separate those seeds and make them disperse and find a new foundation just so a new journey can begin.  

I remember being that curious individual, a type of innocence that has seem to of gotten jaded along with time of each year that I have gotten older. Not because I’ve wanted it to come that way, but because it seems to be safer. To let old wounds scab over and learn from my past emotional injuries. That curious kid didn’t pay attention to the hard times or would let that pressure roll right off her shoulders. That’s what being a kid is all about, isn’t it? Not anymore though, that pressure hangs like the heaviest rain cloud in the darkest sky. I remember being that little girl who put her wishes on a dandelion. I remember being a little girl and whether it was at my house, my grandparents’ house, or anywhere that I saw these white, fuzzy plants that I just had to grab them. I would keep my eyes peeled for them and would get excited when they were in my view because that meant more chances for my wishes to come true. It did not matter to me if the dandelions were the soft grayish pappus or if it were the waxy, sun-colored one, they both got the job done in my mind and I could not wait to send them on their way.  

I did not think dandelions could represent so much for me that I could relate to a dandelion as much as I do, but despite their bad reputation that they are just “weeds” and they take up space that something more, “pleasing to the eye” could be growing in and overall, just being an undesirable plant to most, I still gravitated towards these sunflower related plants. Dandelions are a bit more relatable than we know of. I mean here is a seed that grows on this stem that is their home only to later leave that home and be sent on a journey that has them twisting and turning every second and going down paths that are completely new and foreign.  

The feeling of not knowing what your path has in store for you and where you are going to end up can be such a daunting thought. The unknown is something that’s always there and uncertainty is a feeling that can linger. Anxiety is worrying about the future and the future could be a scary picture to look at. As terrifying as it can be, like leaving home for the first time or changing your career path that you thought you were sure of, I forget to focus on all the positives that come from this new beginning. That I get to meet fresh faces and make new memories. The idea that really frightens me but excites me at the same time is setting my new foundation. A new foundation than what I am used to and not having those familiar individuals and experiences around me because this is my new journey. This is my time to see where I travel along the path that’s less traveled and whatever direction it takes me in, like the wind or that curious individual blowing that dandelion away, I know it is going to be an experience to remember.  

Dandelions represent hope, healing, and resilience. They are known for their ability to thrive in challenging conditions, returning again time after time pushing through the ground and making their presence known. If that doesn’t explain this crazy adventure that we call life, then I don’t know what does.