The dandelion drawing is another drawing I made while visiting our cofounder Belinda’s place called Hestia in Mt Shasta. While staying there for a long weekend, I found myself exploring the property to see what plants would catch my attention that I could include in my drawing project.
I specifically recall finding this dandelion (I remember almost the exact, very non-descript place in a patch of dirt next to the driveway!). It seemed to scream out
“hey there - don’t you see me? I’m HERE!!!!”
This plant wanted to be noticed. It had such presence and strength despite the fact that most of us with lawns and yards see it as a weed. It truly seemed to say:
“I don’t care what you think, I’m HERE and I’m going to do what I do best. I’m going to grow and bloom and release my seeds into the wind to create new life.”
It was beaming in its tenacity - like it knew what it needed to do and it just kept on keeping on doing it’s thing.
A few years after I made the drawing, I had a memorable experience with this drawing. I did a family project where I tried to capture stories from my parents. I kept the gratitude blooming cards on hand to facilitate the conversation in case it would help spark a memory or a thought. On the first day, when I asked my mom what she remembers about her mom (who I never was able to meet), I asked her to choose one the drawings that reminds her of her.
She immediately picked the tenacity card and said with so much pride -
“my mom was so strong. Whenever anyone in the village had a problem, they would come to her. She always knew what to do. She always knew how to help.”
I get shivers a bit when I recall this story - especially thinking about what it would mean to have tenacity in a place like North Korea where my grandmother lived her entire life into her 90s. It’s like a reminder my grandmother is with me in these drawings and in so much more even though I never had the chance to meet her.
This tenacity card - and the dandelion - will always remind me of her, my family and my connection to others who make me who I am without me even knowing it! The ones who provide the roots of my own tenacity that help me become who I need to become.
