Dana the Dandelion

Dana the Dandelion loved her flowers very much. She had been waiting to bloom ever since she was a sprout. And now that her buds had blossomed, she was a very happy little plant. She’d gracefully sway with the breeze, saying hi’s and hello’s to passing butterflies and bees. Ah, truly, the joy of blossoming was absolutely wonderful. Her flowers were round and yellow, very beautiful indeed.

But one day, Dana noticed her petals beginning to wilt. “Oh no!” she cried. “Please, I can’t wither!” She pleaded with the breeze to let her beauty last. Yet, as surely as flowers bloom, they must also fade. Soon, her yellow petals were gone, replaced by fragile white seeds. 

“I still have you,” she said to her seeds. They were still round and beautiful, almost like cotton, almost like clouds. And so, Dana the Dandelion calmed down. She was still pretty, and she still had her seeds. She still had something to be proud of and cherish.

A moon and a half later, the skies darkened, and the wind blew harder than usual. Dana the Dandelion, for the first time since she sprouted, felt genuine fear. She looked to her seeds—they were still there. But whoosh, now they were flying away, leaving her one by one like little wisps dancing in the wind.

“Oh no!” she called out. “Not my seeds!” But just as petals fall, seeds must fly. She watched helplessly as every last one departed. First, she had lost her golden petals, and now, her precious seeds. Dana the Dandelion, for the first time since she was a sprout, felt genuine sadness.

With the wind came the rain, and with the rain came life. More moons later, new seedlings had sprouted, and Dana watched them all. There were plants of many kinds all around. Ah, but nothing like her. Or so she thought. Then she looked to the west and saw a familiar sprout… a sprout that looked just like her… and a lot. A lot of baby dandelions!

Dana thought to herself, “Could these be from my seeds?”

And as if the wind read her mind, it spoke, “They sure are.”

Dana, seeing how many new dandelions were sprouting because of her seeds, for the first time since she was a sprout, felt genuine joy. And she realized, letting go was not the end but the beginning of something beautiful.