The Things We Learn to See Differently
Today on my walk, this lawn full of dandelions stopped me in my tracks.
It reminded me of the Wayne Dyer quote:
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Growing up on the north side of Flint, lawn care was more than maintenance, it was community. It was pride. People talked over fences while mowing grass. There was a quiet, known-to-all comparison of who had the tightest edges, weed control, and who had the cleanest yard on the block.
And dandelions?
They were the enemy.
These little yellow flowers had no place in a “good lawn.” Entire neighborhoods treated their grass specifically to keep them from growing. I grew up seeing them as invasive. Unwanted. Something to remove. Not to mention there was actually a crazy rhyme we’d do at school that involved popping the flower off the stem that literally led to fist fights.
Fast forward to around 2020, when my health and wellness journey started shifting. I began exploring more plant-based foods, juicing, and natural healing practices. Somewhere along the way, I learned that dandelions, the same plants we spent years trying to eliminate, were actually packed with medicinal properties.
Rich in antioxidants. Traditionally used to support digestion and liver health. Full of vitamins and minerals. (Not medical advice — just something I found interesting while learning.) I couldn’t stop thinking about that. Especially as I started to juice them, consume the tea, and sauté them in various recipes.
How many things in life have I misunderstood simply because of the lens I inherited?
How many people?
The parts of myself?
How many experiences did I label as “bad,” “useless,” or “a waste of time” before I understood their value?
Sometimes growth isn’t about finding new things, but about seeing old things differently.
Now when I see dandelions, I don’t immediately think “weeds.”
I think resilience. Adaptability. Medicine. Survival.
Makes me wonder what else we’ve been taught to dismiss too quickly.
What’s something you see differently now than you did years ago?