Blowing It

Before you draw your first breath, life has already set you up with special advantages. Some are born with gifts of intelligence, others with wit ,and others win the genetic lottery, etc. My special advantage? I was born a poor nerdy kid. Seriously.There are a number of advantages to being the school brain from a very humble home:

1. You never have to worry about what to wear to school. Whatever one of your sister's isn't wearing...well...there you go.
2. Deciding where to eat lunch is a non-issue. There are specific tables near the trash cans reserved especially for your status.
3. You have a lot of time to think freely without interruption...from anyone.
4. There's absolutely no reason not to go for it  with whatever freaky thought you have - You have no reputation to protect.
5. You  have the best toys in the world that never break: Your imagination and ingenuity.

I remember the first time I blew on a dandelion flower. I was four and my big sister told me to so I did it without knowing why. After my sister grew tired of my company, I diligently scoured the yard to find every last dandelion to blow. Halfway through the garden, my kindergarten imagination figured out what happened to all the fluffy white stuff blowing in the wind. The process became crystal clear to me:

First, you close your eyes and make the best wish you can make. Then, you take a deep breath and blow on the dandelion as hard as you can. And then, I was positive--the little white pieces floating off and scattering about, were in fact--fairies with the mission to carry out your wish. Furthermore, I was confident the reason why there were so many fluttering in every direction, was because they were individual fairies assigned to accomplish different tasks to make your wish come true. Tiny troopers each doing their part of the mission--helping one another--for the overall benefit of someone else.

This was of course, before anyone could tell me I should look at them as undesirable weeds. This was prior to anyone explaining the last thing I should want to do is blow on them, thereby, multiplying the 'problem'. Where grown-ups saw dandelions as a problem, I saw endless opportunities of hope with thousands of agents to make it happen. In fact, I never called them dandelions. They were 'wishflowers'.

So, as an incurably nerdy kid,  I always found myself free to wonder, imagine, explore and create whatever I wished. And once I grew (in age if not stature) I tried to make it a point to wish a lot...And then do something about it.

And then life happened. I grew up too much. I started seeing obstacles. I got sick.  I lost a dear friend. Life got messy. And so did my desk. And the house. And my yard. As I surveyed the lack of maintenance of the garden, I groaned at the thought of all the work the weeds were creating for me. Until the wind picked up and I--for the first time in too long--chose to see not a weed, but a wishflower.

I was blowing it. How many days had gone by that were full of weeds?  When did wishflowers become extinct in my mind? When did I forget that every day held its own magic unlike any other? And most importantly, how could I let another day go by without making a major change? So here it is (the major change):

I want to be a wishflower. Actually, not the whole flower, just one of the little seeds that when needs or wishes breeze by me, I take my little self and do what I can (with the help of others) to benefit  those around me--everyday. But talk is cheap--A person's got to really do something to make a difference. Thus, the blog site and my promise.

Beginning Tuesday, May 4, 2010 for the duration of 365 days, I will find a distinct way to be a 'human wishflower'--doing something different to bring a little hope, help or happiness regardless of what my schedule dictates--and record it in this blog.

Why? In one year (May 4, 2011) on the completion of my quest, I will use this journey as  material to launch one of my life-long dreams: a character-building program for school age children and teens accessible to all income levels nationwide. (more on this later) 

Why a blog? I'm a five-foot nothin' tiny piece of a wishflower. I'll take all the help I can get while I give. The end-result program will be so much stronger with the insights and actions of others. Not to mention how much more fun it will be...

Why May 4th? On May 4, 2009 I lost one of my best friends and more importantly, the world lost an angel that walked among us. The Five-Foot Nothin' Quest and end-result Children's Program are dedicated to her beautiful legacy. Her memory and the inspiration of my three treasures: Brendan, Francesca and Avana fuel my passion for what can be accomplished this year, for the benefit of generations to come. And that makes me feel ten feet tall.

Thank you for reading...Please subscribe and read on starting May 4th.

-D-

Comments

[Debbie Elder]

Hello Dolores, I am hoping that you will bring me a little happiness by having lunch together? If I can assist you with your project, I want to know how and would be pleased to help in Laura's memory.

[Blake]

Rock on!

[Dolores]

Debbie,

Hi! Great to have you along for the journey. How about lunch on Monday? FB message some suggestions of where. Can't wait to see you.

Cheers,

-D-

[Dolores]

Well Hello Blake -

A pleasure to have you join me on the quest...You never can have too many brilliant people around.

Thanks & Cheers,

-D-

[Leonard Hill]

Dolores,

You have a way with words that is an amazing gift, and Blowing It is one of your best gifts to me, even though I doubt that you had me in mind when you wrote it. It certainly brought a tear to my eye, while bringing back a humorous, yet somewhat painful, childhood memory of my brother (who lost his battle with cancer in 1993, at the young age of 32).

Back to my childhood memory.... It was summertime in Colorado. I was 12 or so, and he was a year older. We were playing football in the back yard, instead of doing chores on the ranch, when I spotted a dandelion in all of its glory. A "brilliant" idea was born, so I carefully picked it, walked over to my brother and cheerfully said, "Open your mouth, and close your eyes, and you will get a big surprise" (even as a child, I was an amazing poet). Remarkably, he actually did it, so I quickly stuck the dandelion in his mouth, and ran for my life. Now, for the poorly executed part of my plan (and the painful part of the memory). He was faster than I was, and he did what every big brother would do in that situation. He tackled me, and proceeded to beat me pretty soundly. As the saying goes, "No blood, no foul", so everything ended well. I got a pretty good laugh out of it and we got on with our day.

Dolores, thank you for bringing back that memory. It made my day.

Len

[Dolores McKay]

Hello, Len -

What an amazing story. I cannot express how much I appreciate you taking the time to type it out for all of us.

It's remarkable how a singular moment can be preserved with such integrity and released with the thought of one symbol.

Thank you again for the incredible story...I am sure you made your brother smile with you from a better place as you wrote it.

Cheers,

-D-