Advice from a dandelion

• Never apologize for being one of the first to celebrate the arrival of spring.
• Remember that small can be beautiful.
• Be proud of who you are and what you can do—even though some may despise you.
• When you are stomped on, knocked down and criticized, answer without anger, but with your usual bright face. 
• Deep roots can help assure a worthwhile life.
• Be proud of your heritage. I trace my relatives to the ancient Romans.
• Sometimes it only takes a spot of beauty to add a little joy to one’s day.
• Love the little children as they love me, often bringing a bouquet of my yellow flowers to their moms on Mother’s Day.
• Treat me with respect. I, like you, have a purpose in life.
• There is goodness in everything—look for it and applaud it.
• Do not stop being beautiful because some may think you do not belong where you are.
• Even under the harshest of conditions, remember who you are and do your best.
• Being of help to others, sometimes if only in a small way, should be a major purpose in your life.
• On the path of life, one is not wrong and the other right, we are just different.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each of us has our own special beauty.
• Don’t be envious of those who appear to have more than you do. Be proud of what you have.
• Do the best you can with what you’ve got.

THE OLD-TIMER SAYS: There is much to be learned from a dandelion.

Jerry Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 35 books, many of them on rural history and country life. For further information about Jerry's writing and TV work go to www.jerryapps.com.