Fluff Floating

Doesn’t that title sound relaxing? Fluff floating where it will, when it will. Not forced. No need to urge it along. You and I can take a lesson from this fluff floating on a gentle breeze.

This time of the year, it is dandelion fluff we might see floating through the air. Call them white floaties or their scientific name of pappi, but either way they are a marvel. Tiny little parachutes, each carrying a seed off to new soil.

From bright yellow flowers to delicate little balls of seeds, dandelions herald early spring. We may not want them in our lawns, and some find their ability to proliferate annoying, but like the squirrels, I choose to see their good side.

Let go. Surrender. Trust in your Higher Power. Or the term one of my favorite writers-Anne Lamott-uses Gus: Great Universal Spirit. Try easier. Stay in the moment rather than trying to move ahead in the harried haste we can get caught up in.

Speaking of squirrels, I saw one just now, moving across a utility wire near the street. It had a change of heart and turned around, returning to a nearby tree. Do I force outcomes or remember I can change direction and try again later?

Squirrels know their own limits. Dandelion fluff is only limited by the weather conditions on the day they are set free. Do I know my limits? Do I remember my parachute and know when to engage it? Do I keep people close to me who would hold the net to catch me in a freefall? Do I trust myself to catch me?

Heavy human questions inspired by wispy particles and agile animals. The best course is just to come back to observing Nature and these mini marvels.

I wrote a post about dandelions on my previous blog “Habitual Gratitude” in June of 2021. It is titled “A Fitting Flower.”
It was more about our family dispersing and returning to visit together. The closing lines of that post make for a fitting close to this one: “It can all seem so fleeting, like this dandelion. All the more reason to treasure and cherish our time together and the day ahead. Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life is amazing grace.”