Shifting Perspectives by Tiffany Moffatt
As I look out at my lawn, all I see is dandelions, a lot of yellow and not so much green. The dandelions have invaded my front yard, the whole neighbourhood, my whole town, really!
I do not take issue with those little yellow flowers, but to my husband they represent sheer anarchy! I think it must be a male thing…this sense of needing control over the uncontrollable and taking pride in having a green lawn…I think it is in the same category as barbeque pride, but that’s another essay. After all what will the neighbours say!
But is it “green” to have the greenest lawn on the block? Or would it be a whole lot “greener” to embrace the yellow?
This is the sense of duplicity, or should I say disloyalty I feel towards the dandelions and myself as I yank them out of the earth with my weed-wacker! I am in a quandary as to which is the right choice.
Keeping up appearances, ie: a thick, green lush lawn, comes at a cost: you either need to a) surreptitiously use herbicide chemicals (preferably after dark) or b) spend countless man-hours manually pulling the weeds from the ground. Or perhaps there is a third option?
What if we were to “shift” our perspective and see a yard full of dandelions as a beautiful “field of gold?”
I am one who would embrace this change! I could start the “Dollars for Dandelions Foundation” or “The Darling Dandelions” movement! My eight-year-old daughter seems to have already made the shift. Last week she laboriously handpicked dandelion leaves from our yard, hand washed them and proceeded to make a salad to accompany our dinner! Earlier that day, her class had been privy to a visit from the Scientist in the Classroom program, and they learned about such relevant topics as sustainability, eating local and in season, and about the harmful effects of herbicides and pesticides. To her, the decision was obvious.
In today’s more socially conscious society we are increasingly faced with duplicity in our work and personal lives. Webster’s dictionary defines duplicity as: “deceit, dishonesty, betrayal, unfaithfulness.”
So I ask you, are you being true to your own heart, because that is what we ultimately need to listen to. Not tradition, not conformity, not our egos.
Do we do what we have always done, stay in our comfort zone or do we embrace change and new ways of thinking?
Duplicity extends to our careers and our life purpose. More and more employees are making the shift from going to a “job” everyday, one that may represent prestige, position and paycheck, to one that yes, means profit, but also embraces people and planet.
It’s human nature to be tied to egoist gratifications like title and money. It’s a lot harder to embrace the shift in consciousness that yearns for a deeper sense of purpose. But this shift to working and living for passion, purpose and profit means a greater gratification and deeper sense of meaning. You may have a great life and money and maybe even fame, but you may be yearning for more heart! That’s where the true gold is…the field of gold!
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Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for your post. I thought you would like this poem which appreciates dandelions from a similar perspective. Vince.
Yes, a dandelion
because they are the flower
of wishes. You blow that ball
of seeds and the wind carries them to the one
assigned to grant or reject.
And it’s a good thing
that it’s the dandelions
who have this power
because they are tough
and sometimes you have to be tough
to even remember
that you have any desires left at all,
to believe that even one
could be satisfied, would not turn
to an example of
“be careful what you wish for,
it might come true.”
Maybe that’s exactly why
there are so many of them –
the universe gives us extra chances
to keep dreaming.
Each one an uprising,
a burst of color
in the cracks of our hearts,
sunrise
at an unexpected time,
in an unexpected place.
Ellie Schoenfeld, “Lucien’s Birthday Poem”
Thanks, Vince, for the poetic take on dandelions! Of course, we all connect with dandelions representing our wishes, hopes and dreams! Thanks for the response!
Tiff