A warm, summer breeze blew through the small backyard of a little girl’s house. The house was small compared to the other houses in the cul-de-sac. It was painted an egg-shell blue color with a stone walkway spilling over with flowers, inviting people in with their sweet-smelling perfumes and vibrant blossoms.
Bees buzzed lazily from one rosebush to another as the little girl sat in the grass, peering at a single flower that had bloomed away from all the others. Her white-blonde pigtails protruded from either side of her head as she leaned down, completely and utterly fascinated with the flower.
There was nothing particularly interesting about the flower, for it was only a daisy. It’s simple, creamy white petals radiated outward from a vibrant yellow center. It almost looked like a little sun. At least that is what crossed the little girls mind.
Her curious blue eyes followed the subtle striated lines on the petals and she reached out a single finger to stroke it, marveling at the detail. One of the petals had a little divot taken out of it, a small flaw amongst the perfection she had been admiring. But she didn’t consider it a flaw. In fact, she thought it added character to the flower!
Jumping to her feet, the girl looking around the garden, stumbling a little in her sudden excitement as she searched for another flower. There! Reaching down, she gently pulled a yellow dandelion from the soft soil.
Returning to her daisy, she placed the dandelion beside it and inspected them both. How different they were, and yet...how similar. The petals of the dandelion were smaller and more delicate, but there was a multitude of them. The daisy, even with its slightly weathered petals still clung on to its beauty and uniqueness.
A sliding of a screen door interrupted the little girls inspection. A petite woman with curly brown hair and an elegantly shaped face stepped onto the patio and looked upon her daughter with the warmest of smiles.
“Hi, Mommy!” The girl chirped from where she sat squatting in her little puddle of grass.
“Hi, honey, what are doing?” Her mother joined her on the grass and gazed down at the flowers.
“Aren’t they pretty?”
“They certainly are. Which one do you like better?” Her mother inquired, squatting down beside her and placing an arm around the little girl’s shoulder. The little girl thought for a moment, her face scrunching up a little.
“I can’t decide! They’re so different.”
“Mm, well look at this one, it looks like some bug might have been eating away at it,” The mother commented, pointing to the daisy.
“That doesn’t make the dandelion better though! That just means that the daisy has been through more.” The girl argued, slightly offended. “They’re both unique in their own way!” She said with a warm smile as she looked down at both of the flowers as if they were people that had feelings too.
The mother stared at her daughter for a moment, marveling at the sudden wisdom that had poured out of her daughter’s mouth. Then she smiled and gave her a kiss on her head.
“You’re right.” She agreed. Then they both got up and placed the two flowers in a cup of water, setting it right beside the girls bed.
Afterwards, the mother pondered what her child had said. It is children who so readily see the world and all its detail and beauty. They don’t compare and judge people with others because they already know that everybody is different and unique. There is something so simple and utterly beautiful, the mother thought, about the way a child sees the world.
Sighing, she put up her hair in a messy bun and began to wash the dishes. She paused for a moment as a bird fluttered past the window, drawing her attention once again out to the garden where the roses swayed gently in the breeze. Each of them different shades of vibrant beauty, uncomparable and perfect. Perhaps...perhaps the world would be a better place if more people tried to see the world how children did, how they themselves used to view the world. Her wistful thoughts of her own childhood filled her mind as she finished the rest of her dishes, unable to get the idea out of her mind.