The Magic in Dandelions

About a year ago, I wrote an article about chasing Dandelions after watching a TED Talk by Dewitt Jones. Dewitt is a photographer for the National Geographic and openly declares it to be the greatest job in the world.

In his TED Talk Dewitt tells the story of how he became a photographer for National Geographic. He had read the magazine as a child. He would stay up late at night with a flashlight and go through all the pictures. He was inspired by their vision which was to celebrate what was right with the world, rather than wallowing in what was wrong with it.

Through a series of twists and turns, he ended up working for the very magazine that inspired him as a child. The National Geographic sent him into the world with one task – find that which is beautiful or right with the world. So, no matter what assignment he was given, he always aimed to find the angle that would capture the beauty or wonder of the specific moment or thing he was capturing on film.

Dewitt believes that our vision controls our perception, and our perception becomes our reality. There is always something wrong with the world, if that is the lens you choose to look through. Similarly, there is always beauty in the world if you are willing to see it. Throughout his life he has opted for the second lens that asks you to celebrate what is right in the world, instead of simply complaining about what is wrong with it. And he says that consequently he has led the most magnificent life.

I listened to Dewitt’s talk, mesmerised, and inspired. Before hearing his story, I did not take much notice of Dandelions. However, I have since come to appreciate this little flower for a couple of reasons. I will share them here.

Firstly, Dandelions are incredibly hardy plants that grow well in most soil types. Even though they prefer fertile soil, they have a high tolerance for nutrient-poor soil too. They are the epitome of resilience. They will even grow next to a slab of cement if seeds happen to land there.

How often do you complain about your circumstances or point out how you simply cannot get started on a project of importance to you, because the conditions are not right? – i.e., you don’t have the time, the money, the energy, the right job, the right house, the right car, the right partner, whatever… If given the opportunity, some people can keep finding reasons to put off what’s important to them, or to complain about what is wrong with their lives, even when from the outside, they seem to be living the perfect life.

I have been guilty of that myself. Living in South Africa, I had plenty of outside reasons to point to as to why I was unhappy or dissatisfied with my circumstances. I could find many, many reasons to justify why I was not living my best life. What I have discovered since, is that it is all a lie. It’s a lie I told myself to keep myself stuck, instead of taking ownership of my life.

Not even moving to the other side of the world to what could objectively be considered an improvement in my living standards could change my discontent. It was only when I started working on myself, and the lens I use to look at the world, that things started to change.

My coach often says you can keep rearranging the furniture, but it will never bring you lasting happiness. The only way to obtain lasting happiness, is to discover that you already have it, and to give yourself permission to experience it, regardless of what is happening around you.

It’s what Eckhart Tolle talks about in his book The Power of Now, when he explains that all our unhappiness comes from living in the past or the future. Living in the past or the future are not real states of being. They are merely states of mind. The only thing that is real, is the now – this very moment right now. And when you are present to it, you realise that there is nothing wrong with now. Now is perfect just the way it is. This moment here is fine. Nothing needs to change for this moment to be what it is. It’s our mind wandering and either getting stuck in a story of the past, or a fear about the future, that tries to convince us that there is something wrong with now.

Secondly, Dandelions aren’t just hardy and resilient, in a way they are delicate and fragile too. Their bright yellow petals are also hard to miss. It’s like they have given themselves permission to stand out and blossom as brightly as possible, even at the risk of being pulled out and tossed aside as a weed. Their yellow colour is unmistakable.

Dewitt says that he can see the light that shines from within people when they have the courage to let it out. He shares that the only difference between a person and a flower, is that the flower doesn’t need to trust before it’s willing to grace us with its light. Flowers are so delicate and yet they trust so openly. We humans hide our light, because we are afraid that we might be hurt or disappointed if we share it with the world.

Yet, your light is always there. You can’t really hide it. When you take the time to really look at another person, really see them for who they are, it becomes easy to see their light. I have found that the shortest path is by looking into someone’s eyes. The light is always there, even when they are afraid to share it. You cannot look deeply into someone’s eyes and not see their light; not get a glimpse of the spirit living inside; not stop to appreciate that person. No words are needed.

In my coach training, one of the most transformational experiences I had was an exercise where we were tasked to sit across from a stranger (i.e., someone we didn’t know), and simply look into their eyes. We were not allowed to speak. We were simply instructed to look at each other; to really look. In what felt like an eternity, I sat across from a person I did not know, and we stared into each other’s eyes and before the time was up, we had formed a deep connection with each other. It’s been almost three years since I did that exercise, and I still remember the person I sat across from. I still remember how I had felt at that moment. I still remember the deep connection we both felt. And we did not speak a single word with each other.  What we did, was find each other’s light.

Thirdly, Dandelions invite everyone to participate in the spreading of their seeds. They make it easy and joyful. My four-year old loves chasing Dandelion puff balls. She loves blowing the seeds off the puff balls and into the wind. I like to think of their seeds as filled with joy and resilience. So, in a way, they are spreading their joy and resilience or sharing it with the world.

Dewitt mentions the slogan on a T-shirt he once saw that read, “Second Place is the First Loser” and to him that represents how many of us see the world – i.e., as a place of lack, of scarcity, and of competition. In her book, The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist so eloquently describes how we have all bought into the lie of scarcity. When you believe the lie of scarcity, you see it everywhere, and you really do see the world as a place where so much is wrong or missing. Then you feel the need to perpetuate the three myths that keep the lie alive which are:

1. There isn’t enough.
2. More is better.
3. It’s just the way it is.

Nature tells a different story. It shows us abundance, beauty, and possibility just beyond the rat race. It declares this abundance in so many different ways; through mountain ranges, forests, grasslands, flowers, rivers and more.