Dandy

Wonder Boy was in a horrible mood when I picked him up from school today. He had a tough day of 4th grade. He'd gotten the date wrong on a major assignment. He had missed his sister who was home with the flu. He was jealous of her watching TV while he faced the drudgery of school. He was out of sorts despite the beautiful sunshine. He was in a very bad place.

I got behind the wheel of the car and knew what must be done. I knew today was the day. I drove in the opposite direction from our home. I told him that we had to make a stop. He nearly snarled at me. Then I told him,

"Wonder Boy -- look at the side of the road. Your favorite flower is in bloom."

He stared out the window and squeeled in delight. Oh yes, the Dance of the Dandylions! His miserable day melted away and he became giddy. I had promised him we would take his picture in a field of his precious dandylions this year. The day had come. The beauties were in bloom. The sun was shining. We went to THE FIELD. Cars passed us, but we did not hear them. We got out of the car and Wonder Boy ran forward into the field to enjoy the bright yellow gifts.

"Mom, how can anyone call them weeds?" he said.

I took his picture. I beamed at his joy. I shared in the splendor. I soaked up the moment. For some reason last year he started calling dandylions "macaroni." It was fun to say "Hey -- look at all that macaroni!" We enjoyed our dandy macaroni together.

The bad mood was gone. The moment was now happy.
Enjoy the blooms!