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Can I be honest with you?

The amount of mental energy required to write this blog is almost more than I can handle today.  But I intended to get this written before Monday, so here I am.

It's Spring.  The rain ALL day yesterday confirms it.  But the flowering trees are gorgeous.  You really have to enjoy them while you can, because they don't last nearly long enough.  I find that I often take these blooms for granted - and then miss them terribly when they are gone. 

When someone asks about my favorite flower, I can't name just one.  Gerbera daisies, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers and dandelions are at the top of my list.  There is a common theme here.  They are all yellow.  Is that a coincidence, do you think?

I don't think it's a secret that I love dandelions.  I even love the way the word looks and how it sounds.  Dandelions. Dan-de-lions.  Say it out loud and tell me that it doesn't sound lovely.  

They are amazing little things really, blooming a beautiful yellow color until they mature.   And then the magic happens.  The yellow flower turns into a white fluffy seed head.  The seed head is a bunch of little parachutes for the seeds.  And once you make your wish or the wind blows, those parachutes fly away, carrying those little dandelion seeds all over.  You can't tell me that isn't incredible.  I mean, what other flower can you make wishes on??

But then there are people, like Brian, who spend all summer keeping dandelions out of their yards.  Because technically, Brian reminds me every Spring, dandelions aren't flowers, they are weeds.  What??!!  How can weeds be so beautiful, so magical, full of hopes and dreams??  How can they deceive you into thinking they are wonderful and amazing flowers, but they are not??

But Wikipedia does confirm that they are weeds - like the ones that choke the life out of the grass or gardens around it.  And if you make a lot of wishes, then you will end up with hundreds of dandelions soon.  Which is good in my opinion, but infuriating for Brian, since he is the one in charge of the yard and has to pull them all out by the root.  That's the only way to get rid of the weeds.  Because if you leave any parts of the root there, it will grow back - with a vengeance.  Regular maintenance and hard work is what it takes to make your lawn or garden healthy and weed-free.  If you ignore it, it will get out of control, and the weeds will take over.

Which brings me to this adorable, unassuming house.  It's charming (and I see they have a few wish-making creations in their yard), but it's what is on the SIDE of the house that I'm in love with.  

There are so many things about this that I love.  First of all, what a canvas!  The side of your house.  The second thing that I love is that it's intentional.  This side of the house doesn't look like the rest of it.  And third, they used this canvas to display words of wisdom.  For people like me walking by to enjoy and take in. 

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." ~Voltaire

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." ~Aldous Huxley

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."  ~Jimi Hendrix (although with a little research, it seems he may not have been the originator of this quote).  

So even though I can try to ignore the fact that dandelions are weeds, they are still weeds.  And maybe it's the idea of dandelions that I love more than anything.  That you can make wishes and put all your energy into hoping they come true.  But that's just a fairy tale - it's not the truth.  Because the fact is, if you're wishing for something, you're gonna have to speak up and do work to make it happen. 

Do you have any words of wisdom that you live by??

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