Dandelions

“By the time you see a dandelion plant it is well established. There is always a new generation waiting.”

Molly Snyder finds dandelions beautiful. Dandelions. It is not what I expected her to say when she was here at the Pfister, her hand in mine. I was drawing on her with my henna cone and we were reminiscing about the past. Talking about the present. And dreaming into the future.

We met twenty-five years ago. Like dandelions we grew unabashedly, established ourselves, let the wind blow us in new directions and unexpectedly found ourselves here at the Pfister. Both mothers. Both community activists. Both writers. Both Pfister Narrators.

Molly was the Pfister’s 6th Narrator-in-Residence. It was she that took this writing residency from six months to one year. It was she who had a vision for the writer and the artist to work in confluence with each other. And it was Molly who organized the gathering welcoming me into this community.

The thing is, she did that when we first met all of those years ago. It was at the YMCA, which was then located in the 411 building on Wisconsin Avenue across from my office on the 14th floor. She was behind the front desk. At least that is how I remember her. With all of her hip and cool welcoming me into the “Y.” 

She was in school working a job that was not her career. And I had just graduated from what I thought would be mine. She was friendly and talkative. So much so that we became friends. The kind that only see each other for a moment at a time. But the kinds of moments that can mark a day and grow into something more. With each of these moments, Molly welcomed me. And I began to get to know Milwaukee. To become a part of it. Now, here we sit at the Pfister. Having grown into and become a part of it. 

But this time, it was me who welcomed her. First with chai. Then with henna. We spent the afternoon re-visiting the “Y” and traveling back in time. Exploring the bends in our roads and our new beginnings.

They say that dandelions are prodigious, “remarkably and impressively great in extent, size or degree.” It seems fitting then, that Molly would have a brand new podcast she calls “Dandelions.” 

Dandelions. Migrating near and far. Growing far and wide. They never give up even when— maybe they should. This is how Molly sees the women who this podcast is for and about. Stubborn and full of grace they rise, their bright yellow hugging the summer green as if never to let go. 

“Dandelions: A Podcast for Women,” hosted by Molly Snyder and Julie Davidson, drops on the last Friday of every month and is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn/Alexa. Subscribe, write a review on iTunes or reach out to Molly and Julie at dandelions@onmilwaukee.com. You can also give @DandelionsPodcast some love by following on Facebook and Instagram.