Open Forum

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

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Arnie Grahl
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What a beautiful metaphor, @Arnie Grahl. 

I've been working on the process of "saving energy for the bigger things" over the last year, and while I've done some good work, I know there's always more to be done. More deep breaths to take, less energy spent on things that don't honestly matter in the long run. Now every time I see a dandelion, it can be another gentle reminder that life's too short for fighting small weeds. :) ​​

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Stay awesome,
Quinn
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 11:17
From: Arnie Grahl
Subject: Dandelions

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------

@Arnie Grahl thank you so much for sharing your adventures with dandelions! I have two thoughts:

1. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: as a kid, I remember being​ amazed when my dad told me the yellow dandelions were the same thing as the puffy white flowers that I would always blow to pieces. It is still pretty amazing! I also couldn't understand why my dad was NOT happy with the dandelions, but liked the other flowers just fine.

2. Don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff: I am so tempted to "handle" whatever crops up, the most recent shiny object. But I read this book recently that has kind of changed my life, Four Thousand Weeks, where one of the suggestions from the author is to choose 3-5 priorities and do them. And ONLY those 3-5 things (aside from paying the bills and whatnot). I limited myself to 3 priorities: Music/dancing, meditation, and family/friends. Dandelions don't make the cut, so I can pass them every day in my lawn and know I made a conscious decision that I am not doing anything with them (just like you did!). No guilt, no coulda-shoulda-woulda.

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Maria Liccardo
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 11:17
From: Arnie Grahl
Subject: Dandelions

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------

I think there is a lesson on perspective here as well! 

First, all parts of dandelions are edible (and even medicinal!) for humans and they provide nourishment to early pollinators.  So for a bee, or someone making a heart healthy salad, your yard was a treasure trove!

Aside from that, the presence of dandelions can tell you about your soil quality and actively works to restore it! Those pesky roots are taproots that reach deep down and bring nutrients to the surface where other plants can use it. Once your soil is restored, they'll stop popping up! 

So maybe another lesson here is 
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions-- we fight them off and find them annoying, but they're just trying to help!  Once we embrace them and their purpose, nature will create its own equilibrium.  

Or maybe Sometimes the problem is not the flower, but the soil it grows in.

------------------------------
Elisa Meggs
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 11:17
From: Arnie Grahl
Subject: Dandelions

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------

Wow, @Elisa Meggs you took this to a whole new level! Thank you for sharing your specific knowledge about dandelions, and for sharing your wisdom about how we can appreciate and learn deeper truths from things that appear to be annoying on the surface.  You gave me so much to consider, thank you!​

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Maria Liccardo
Evanston
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2022 08:02
From: Elisa Meggs
Subject: Dandelions

I think there is a lesson on perspective here as well! 

First, all parts of dandelions are edible (and even medicinal!) for humans and they provide nourishment to early pollinators.  So for a bee, or someone making a heart healthy salad, your yard was a treasure trove!

Aside from that, the presence of dandelions can tell you about your soil quality and actively works to restore it! Those pesky roots are taproots that reach deep down and bring nutrients to the surface where other plants can use it. Once your soil is restored, they'll stop popping up! 

So maybe another lesson here is 
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions-- we fight them off and find them annoying, but they're just trying to help!  Once we embrace them and their purpose, nature will create its own equilibrium.  

Or maybe Sometimes the problem is not the flower, but the soil it grows in.

------------------------------
Elisa Meggs

Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 11:17
From: Arnie Grahl
Subject: Dandelions

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------

I love this idea of eating dandelions. Or maybe making Dandelion wine. Is that really such a thing? And does it taste good?

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2022 08:02
From: Elisa Meggs
Subject: Dandelions

I think there is a lesson on perspective here as well! 

First, all parts of dandelions are edible (and even medicinal!) for humans and they provide nourishment to early pollinators.  So for a bee, or someone making a heart healthy salad, your yard was a treasure trove!

Aside from that, the presence of dandelions can tell you about your soil quality and actively works to restore it! Those pesky roots are taproots that reach deep down and bring nutrients to the surface where other plants can use it. Once your soil is restored, they'll stop popping up! 

So maybe another lesson here is 
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions-- we fight them off and find them annoying, but they're just trying to help!  Once we embrace them and their purpose, nature will create its own equilibrium.  

Or maybe Sometimes the problem is not the flower, but the soil it grows in.

------------------------------
Elisa Meggs

Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 11:17
From: Arnie Grahl
Subject: Dandelions

A year ago March, I looked out the door of my house to a bright yellow carpet of dandelions across my yard.
I cannot deny that there was a certain beauty to this sea of yellow, and yet I knew that at their heart dandelions are weeds and that they would soon turn into ugly white milkweeds.
It was the first full spring since the COVID-19 pandemic and work from home. So I was able to use my lunch hour to head out into the yard and attack the army of dandelions with a vigor. I bought a new hand weed remover tool and dug them up one by one, trying hard to get deep enough into the roots so they wouldn't just come back. Sometimes I succeeded, other times not so much.
Each day, after my more or less hour lunch break,  I would glance out with some satisfaction at having returned the lawn to a predominately green shade.
The next morning, I'd look out, and there would be more.
This cycle repeated itself for a good two weeks. I can imagine people walking and driving by might have had a good laugh at the crazy guy on his knees passionately digging out dandelions.
And then, almost as suddenly as it began, they were mostly gone. Dandelion season was over, and only a remnant here and there remained.
I did not have it in me this year to repeat the enterprise. As the first few dandelions  began to crop up in the yard, I said to myself, "to heck with it." I sat back and enjoyed the beauty of their bright yellow faces bending upward toward the sun.
And you know what, in several weeks time, they all went away. Now, except for a few here and there, the yard is mostly green.
As I sat looking out over the yard the other day, a life metaphor hit me.
Sometimes, there are things in life that are like dandelions. They pop up and spread and have some intrinsic beauty but they are also annoying as heck. We can spend a whole lot of time fighting them and trying to get rid of them. But sometimes, they just pass on their own.
I wonder how much time we spend fighting the dandelions in our life, when we could, perhaps, just roll with what life brings, make the best of it, appreciate the little bit of value in the situation, and save our energy for bigger things.

------------------------------
Arnie Grahl
------------------------------