Teaching is Like Spreading the Seeds of a Dandelion

Teaching is Like Spreading the Seeds of a Dandelion

By Christina Lamson

A beautiful young girl stood at the top of a hill in the middle of a meadow. The wind blew her wavy, blonde hair as she sniffed the cool breeze. As she looked around she saw many wondrous sights: the tall grasses swaying, birds gliding in the horizon, and numerous flower buds peeking out of the ends of the tree branches. She closed her eyes for a mere second, then looked up to see the clouds drift by. As her gaze lowered, she caught a glimpse of something special. She ran to the edge of the hill, bent down, and carefully plucked a beautiful, yellow dandelion out of the ground. Astonished by its beauty, she gave it a quick, but careful hug and the corners of her mouth transitioned into an innocent smile. She had just found gold.

The girl quickly ran towards her house, thinking about how she could share its beauty. She dashed inside and placed the dandelion into a stunning, crystal vase that she pulled out from beneath the kitchen sink, and she displayed the dandelion in the sunniest window in her room.

Days went by and the beautiful, yellow dandelion turns into a fluffy, gray mess. She couldn't find it in her heart to throw it away. Knowing the beauty that this dandelion once possessed, she decided to look a little closer and she realized the new treasure within, therefore she took the dandelion out to the yard and blew on it. The seeds dispersed throughout the land. With the right conditions in her favor, the seeds were nurtured.

Upon the growth of the first, two, new dandelions, the girl became overcome with joy, for in that moment she realized that a small part of this new growth was due to her guidance.  Overtime many more beautiful, yellow dandelions appeared. Many of which also turned to gray fluff. The girl took enjoyment in blowing each collection of seeds further and further across the meadow. This enjoyment did not come without disappointment though. Some dandelions never fully transformed and no matter how hard she blew, the seeds never detached. Some dandelions were taken away by the wind before she even got a chance to spread them herself. Some seeds were intentionally blown in the direction of the wind to spread in the open land where they are able to find sufficient sunlight, but some seeds were blown sporadically throughout the land, ending up in places that they were not able to flourish. She viewed success in these failures, just as she did in her achievements. The girl was often told that she was wasting her time with the dandelions because they were just weeds, but that is not what she saw as their truth. Defeat was not felt by these setbacks, rather she accepted every dandelion as it came, and cherished each.

One day, the young girl discovered a whole new area of dandelions beginning to grow. With eagerness she headed home to share the news with her mother. Upon entering, she found her mother sitting at the table with her head bowed into her arms as she slumped in despair. The girl immediately retreated to the meadow, picked the biggest and most beautiful dandelion and carried it back to her home. She quietly approached her mother, and looked down at the small treasure she held clenched in her hand. She delicately moved the dandelion out in front of her, and then placed it into the hands of her mother. Her mother’s head rose, for she wondered what treasure she now possessed. Then she glanced to where her eyes met her daughters, and she quickly realized the power of what she now held in her hand. She immediately rose to her feet, and embraced her daughter in a hug.

On the day that this special dandelion transformed, the mother looked at her daughter and nodded. Together they walked slowly into the meadow and ascended to the top of the hill. They both put their heads back and let their hair blow free in the wind. 

Then they held up their fluffy, gray dandelion. Both of their hands carefully gripped the soft, green stem. Then they gave one last glance in each other's eyes and together they blew.