Dandelions

Hello again! It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted a blog entry. I’ve been out enjoying the unfolding of spring, getting drunk on lilac fragrance and celebrating the rhododendrons bursting into bloom.

Most of the smiling yellow dandelions that peppered my back yard have transformed into “wish flowers.” That’s what I’ve always called them since I was a young child, when I was taught to make a wish and blow, scattering the white fluffy seeds in all directions. Just like birthday candles, you had to blow them all away in one breath, or else your wish would not come true.

And I, too, am blown away when I think of all the wishes in my life that have come true, some wishes I didn’t even know I had until they manifested in my life as blessings.

Today, when I blow on those ghostly dandelions, I think of them as gratitude flowers, bringing to mind what I'm thankful for as I send those white puffs flying everywhere. Rather than focusing on what is lacking, I’ve chosen to acknowledge all that it full, rich, and beautiful in my life.

So, as I send my gratitude into the wind, I am scattering seeds of gratefulness all around me, creating possibility for more gratitude to bloom in my life.

Gratitude is a practice, just like anything else, and the more we consciously attend to it, the more it is strengthened in our psyche, hearts, and the whole of our being. It’s like a muscle that needs to be exercised—it gets stronger with practice. It’s an awareness that, when alive in the foreground of the mind, has a profound effect on our life-experience.

So, if you can find any remnants of dandelions in your yard today, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your blessings, and send your prayers of thanks in all directions. And it’s okay if it takes more than one breath!

“If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.”

~ Meister Eckhart