I was 8 years old, waiting in the wings of a full auditorium, giggling with nerves alongside my gal pals. I attempt to ignore the way my legs feel like stuffed sausages in my tights or the itchiness of my tutu around my knees. The announcer begins to speak and his words are muffled through the poor quality audio system. Although we struggle to understand what he is saying, we know that it is our turn to dance next. My teacher motions for us to walk onstage and as we do the announcer says, referring to our colorful skirts, "they look like a beautiful field of wildflowers".

That phrase stuck with me for years to follow, mostly because my mother and I found ourselves regularly making fun of the strange inflection in the announcer's voice. But on that day, during one of the first dance recitals that I was old enough to remember, I began my love affair with wildflowers.

The Oxford Dictionary defines a wildflower as "a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention." According to this definition, a wildflower can grow anywhere, as long as it is not planted with the intent to grow in a specific place. The term "wildflower" can include many different varieties of plants, some more colorful and some more plain. Some have many leaves and petals, while others are more singular in what they are. The possibilities are endless as if in the right context, any flower can be considered wild. Amongst the variety, the beauty of a plant growing by the complete will of nature itself strikes me as unbelievable.

Ruining the reputation of the wildflower however comes the weed. When we think of weeds, positive images do not usually come to mind. I am not a gardener so I don't have a lot of passionate hatred towards weeds themselves but I have observed the unpleasantness of hard work being ruined by a "weed-like" substance. Weeds often take over beautiful gardens, infesting them with undesired greenery, making your garden even more difficult to upkeep. But when looking at the reality of weeds, they aren't that different from wildflowers. The Oxford Dictionary defines a weed simply as "a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants".

When analyzing these two definitions, I come to the conclusion that a flower can technically be both a weed and a wildflower. The difference comes with context. The same plant, depending on where it is growing and how it is interacting with nature can be something that is hated for its intrusive and destructive reality or can be admired for being free and uninhibited in its ability to blossom. I think people can be this way too. The same person, their inherited features constant, can be seen as a weed or a wildflower.

In some contexts, we're all going to feel like weeds. We are going to feel unwanted and undesired. We are going to feel like people are trying to remove us from the garden. We can feel as if we are constantly in competition with the flowers around us. We will compare ourselves to the flowers that we are unlike, causing feelings of ugliness and inadequacy. We might even come on too strong and over grow in an environment that we don't belong in, unintentionally killing the beauty that surrounds us.

Seeing our self as a weed can come from outside sources or can be completely self-inflicted. Other people may tell us things that form our weed identity or our minds may deceive us into believing that we are intruders when in reality, we are exactly where we are intended to be. Nevertheless, thinking of yourself as weed is cutting yourself short. Do not underestimate your beauty, just because you haven't found the right environment that will allow you to adequately grow.

There was a time in my life where I never imagined that I could be anything more than the ugliest of weeds. I attempted to change myself to match the beautiful roses and tulips around me while growing resentful of the dandelion that I was made to be. Yes, my dandelion qualities didn't match those of the rose garden that I so desperately wanted to be a part of. Tulips are beautiful but I am not a tulip. It took me years to realize that just because one flower is beautiful, it doesn’t mean that other flowers aren't. Beauty isn't a give or take. When someone else becomes more beautiful, you don't become less beautiful. Although your perspective changes with your environment, the inherent beauty that you posses never changes.

There are days when I see the most beautiful tulip that I have ever seen and I realize that I will never possess that kind of beauty. But I remind myself that somewhere out there, a garden of roses is looking at the dandelion that I am, cursing their thorns and wanting to be more like me. Tulips are perfect spring time flowers but a child would never pick a tulip from the ground and blow on the petals while making a wish, creating perfect summer memories. And you would never see "The Bachelor" handing out dandelions to symbolize love and passion. When we realize that each flower is perfect for something, whatever that may be, we can finally tap into the ability to appreciate other people's beauty without undermining our own.

Everyday I strive to live my life as a wildflower. I put myself in situations where the make up of who I am and who I was created to be can grow without interference. I remind myself that the most perfect gardener made me into a dandelion because He sees where my beauty can make a huge impact, even when I can't.

You are a beautiful flower. Weed-like days are inevitable but I hope that you desire a wildflower future. Find the place where the plant that you were created to be can flourish in a way that only you can. Whether you're a rose or a tulip or a dandelion, remember that there is a field for every type of flower, each as beautiful as the last. In the midst of your weed infested reality, remain strong in the mentality of the wildflower.