There is more to every little thing than what we can see on the surface.  You can go through life and pass a thousand people by in a day.  And they look like you and me, and me and you.  But underneath, everything is different.

But quite simply.  You are you.

Then how can it be that some people totally like you, and others may comletely dislike you?  I ask, how can it be?

We all have different perceptions of every little thing in this this whole wide universe.  That’s how, I suspect.

Take this for example.

This, my friends, is a Milkweed.  Its formal name is Asclepias.  But don’t be bothered by that.  My formal name is Polly, Queen of the Curious and Klutzy, but most don’t bother with that either.

Back to the Milkweed.   The stuff has quite a resume.  This much I can tell you.

Like. During World War II, over 5,500 short tons of milkweed floss were used to stuff mattresses.  And today…..milkweed is grown commercially as a hypoallergenic filling for pillows.

But it isn’t all about the fluff.  Sometimes it is the heart of the matter, that matters.  Those seeds.  They have a very high dextrose content in their nectar.  And, some time ago…. Native Americans used  milkweed as a source of sweetener.

It is a neighborly sort.  You see…. Milkweed is beneficial to nearby plants, repelling some pests, especially wireworms.  (Dag nabbin’ wireworms!)

That old Milky Weed has its dark side too.  It contains cardiac glycoside poisons.   As a result, South America and Africa natives used arrows poisoned with these glycosides to hunt more effectively.

It goes on.  Milkweed is toxic and may cause death when animals consume 10% of their body weight in any part of the plant.  It also causes mild dermatitis in some who come in contact with it.  So stuff your pillow with it… just don’t touch it directly…. or eat it.

But, perhaps the coolest talent of Milkweed are the leaves.   They are the ONLY  food source for Monarch butterfly larvae and other milkweed butterflies. You have to have Milkweed to have a Monarch.   Like a Queen needs a throne.

This plant is lifeblood to some, and deathly poisonous to other.  Another complicated quandary.   Good to some.  Terrible to others.  It is all in your perception.

The small hunted animals fleeing from poisonous arrows dislike the Milkweed.  And the Monarch Butterfly is “two-wings-up” on the stuff.

I suppose in life, we are much like the Milkweed.  Whether we mean to be or not, we are champions to some, and nemeses to others.

So there you stand in front of two different people.  They see the same exact person in front of them.  But HOW they see that person… that YOU… is divergent.

Poison arrow to one. Essential food source to the other.

No matter.  Celebrate who you are.  You are unique.  And you have an immeasurable amount of goodness to offer the world.

Whew.  If life were simple… I’d have nothing to write about.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.  —  Margaret Mead

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.  —  Steve Martin