The Undervalued

I think it may, finally, be (hopefully) safe to say that Spring is arriving. I have been, and still am, a bit hesitant to rush to my computer, log into my Facebook account, and declare to the world, "SPRING IS HERE!!!!" because this is Colorado, and I have a deep fear that snow and chills are still planning on dampening the warm springy spirits of this lovely weather.

Still, when I was jogging to Walgreens this morning, there were definite signs of color and life. The grass is slowly fading from dry brown and tans to light shades of green. It almost looks like a graying man's hair, but in reverse and with different colors.

There are little tiny blue flowers sprouting up about the bases of trees. I'm pretty sure they're actually technically weeds, they spread very quickly and we used to have them all over our backyard, but if weeds are pretty than who cares! Tiny blue flowers and lush green weedage are far better than dry and crinkly grass, far more cheerful.

And then, there were dandelions. Little spots of brilliant yellow lighting up the dull earth. There were so many of them. Each one felt like a little smile. I think yellow is a smiling color, maybe because so many smiley faces are colored yellow. Or maybe the smiley faces are colored yellow because yellow is a smiling color? Who knows! Regardless, they're lovely. I know, I know. Dandelions are weeds. They're pesky and grow everywhere and anywhere and half the time where you don't want them. And they spread quickly since they're weeds. I don't care. Every time I see the little fluffy ones I pick them up and blow them everywhere in hopes of planting more dandelions. Even if they are technically weeds, they're beautiful! They're simple, but refined. No they don't have the same intricacies and rich smells or variety of colors as roses do, nor the connotations of romance and beauty that roses do, but they're still beautiful in their own right. They're simple. Small. Ordinary. Yellow. Adorable. Bright. Sunny. Cheerful. And if you get very close (as I often do with a camera), they are quite intricate. Hundreds of tiny petals, and little curled somethings that do something with pollen (can you tell I hate science?) in the middle.

So I don't care that dandelions are defined as weeds, they're still wonderful. And they made me smile, the undervalued and too often unappreciated dandelions.