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Dandelions and Grandma

My grandma taught me many things, and I shall never forget some of her simplest--yet most important life lessons.

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Dandelions and Grandma
Michal Bednarek

Sunday afternoons in the months of spring and summer are meant to be spent for basking in the sun with your iced tea in hand, and soft music as your background tune. You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to.

The sun is warm and welcoming upon your bare skin that peaks through your cotton shirt. It reminds you of the times when your were little, life was simple, and your days were spent outside playing, because you didn't have a phone, computer, or TV with cable. Life was easy back then, you wish it could have stayed that way, but time had other plans..

The breeze is blowing around you, it smells of dirt–earthy, rugged, and sweet. You can smell the grass, and other shades of green in the air. In spring time, the earth comes back to life after a long winter's nap. People are out walking their dogs, couples are hand in hand, and small children are learning how to ride their bikes. You might consider walking yourself, but for now you would like to sit and enjoy your time soaking up the sun, feeling at peace.

You remember one spring afternoon at your grandmother's. You were a child picking dandelions in the meadow, thinking they were the most beautiful thing you had ever laid eyes on. You wanted to give them to everyone because there were so many, and you thought everyone should have one. "They're just weeds, honey." Someone tells you–but just to make you feel special, Grandma puts the huge bouquet you picked her in a vase on her kitchen table. Grandma tells you to wash your hands for dinner, you look back at your flowers, and you feel like you really did something good for once. Grandma always made me feel special like that.

Why can't life be as simply reciprocal as that? Why can't you give someone a flower and make them happy as easy as 1, 2 ,3? Why can't we give random people flowers just to be kind? Why can't more people be more like Grandma? In your afternoon basking, and reminiscing session you ponder--" Do you try to be the good in the world, or be a superficial hypocrite like the rest of the world. What would Grandma want you to do?" You walk out to your yard, pick up a dandelion and look upon it. It's so simple, but it's sort of beautiful as well. Dandelions really don't look like weeds, they're the color of sunshine which make you feel happy inside. Maybe it's because they're yellow, yellow is your favorite color. You begin to see through your Grandma's eyes in that slight moment. You decide to pick a bouquet, and place them in a coffee cup on your kitchen counter because that's all you have to put them in. On your journey home you place a dandelion in front of a random person's door, hoping to remind them of some good memory. Paying it forward doesn't always have to involve money and that's what we sometimes forget. Grandma would be mad if she knew you that you sometimes stray from these simple concepts--but everyone does. We are only human

Life slips away from us and we choose to see the bad in everything rather than the good. You think of ways you can change the world, you want to make Grandma proud.--You glance out your window and see a kid in the window, picking a dandelion with his mother. He hands it to his mother, and she hugs him to thank him for his gift. Maybe the world isn't so bad. You smile to yourself and know your Grandma, somewhere, must be smiling too.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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