The Destiny of a Dandelion
And the power of a single word
Image by Dall-e
When I was a little girl, I used to pick dandelions for my mom on my way home from school.
My mom would put them in a glass of water near a window. And I felt so proud.
Later, though, I learned that a dandelion is nothing but a “weed.” And so for many years I treated it like a weed, like I thought I was supposed to.
But wait a moment. Why do we classify some plants as weeds, and others as flowers?
Is a weed a weed because it can grow without our help? Is it in its relationship and/or dependency on us that the dandelion is a weed but the rose is a flower?
The dandelion is actually an amazing plant. It has a strong, deep root structure. It can grow and propagate despite the high odds against it. It is a beautiful symbol of transformation throughout a lifecycle. And all parts of a dandelion can be used in some way - think of dandelion root tea, or dandelion leaves in a winter soup!
So why, again, is the dandelion chopped down, cut down, and poisoned?
Because the word weed has created its destiny.
Words have incredible power. They have meaning, they invoke imagination, feeling, memory, and can trigger entire thought trains.
And so, when I was asked to give a talk on the topic of Integrity, I decided not to simply talk about what I thought this meant intellectually. I wanted everyone to feel into it, to understand what it means from the inside.
This entire talk runs the gamut: the power of words, the journey to wholeness, the power of truth and love and, yes, the uplifting to the dandelion to its rightful place in the ecosystem.
I hope you can take some time and listen!
