Do you remember when you were a kid? Do you remember playing outside in the grass? Going to the playground of your school and creating flower bracelets, necklaces, and crowns with your friends? And because there were never any actual flower around, you used dandelions, clovers, and the little plant with the purple stems coming off it. You used weeds to make your little creations.
I remember doing that on the playground with my friends. I was never very good at weaving the weeds together, though. We’d have these beautiful crowns of yellow dandelions or clover bracelets. Those little weeds with the purple stems would hang from the necklaces we made like oversized jewels. We thought we were wearing the jewelry of fairies and elves back then.
But, eventually, you grow up. People tell you weeds are bad and your parents don’t want to see them in their yards. The grass loses a lot of color as people put down weed killer to keep a plain of green on their lawn and nothing else.
Winter is coming and when I look around, all I see is dormant plants and snow. The weeds that bring bright colors to the earth are waiting for the warmth of spring come out again. That’s definitely one of the reasons spring is my favorite season. The world comes back to life and color comes with it. It makes me smile seeing a yard of bright yellow dandelions. They’re like little suns saying hello.
As we got older, we lost the eye for beauty in the weeds. You’re told to keep them out of your yard. Told to keep the lawn green and crisp with grass when in reality biodiversity is better. The colors are better. The wishes held in the dandelions are better.
I’m dreaming of spring because I’m already tired of the cold, but I’d like to invite you when the world reawakes to look for the weeds and remember the beauty they bring.
nikki diekemper 