Queen of the Daisy Chains

You can call me a lot of things, but a predictable driver probably wouldn't make the list. That's because I have this nasty habit of doing things like, I don't know, pulling over to the side of the highway with no warning because I saw a pretty patch of wildflowers on the side of the road.

But don't worry - I used my turning signal.

Making a daisy chain on the side of the road, waving at confused drivers that passed and choking on highway dust, made me realize something: Life is like a daisy chain.

It takes time to pick out the brightest blooms and the prettiest petals, just like choosing your friends, your passions, your dreams. You choose who and what you're going to weave the tightest, and those that you're going to throw back onto the grass.

Sure, not everything is as easy as picking wildflowers on the side of the road. Your daisy chain needs a back bone, a couple of strong stems to hold up the others. Your family. Your home. There are some things that you don't get to pick. But every flower on your daisy chain is there for a reason. And if it isn't, if it doesn't look right or it's crawling with those weird, black bugs that look like leeches, you can take it out and move on.

So I'm trying to choose carefully. I'm picking friends I can depend on and following dreams that make my heart pound. You choose what goes into your daisy chain - which flowers will catch someone's eye, which blossoms you'll show the world and which you'll hang above your bed to dry and keep safe for years - and you wear it with pride.

With the first day of summer come and gone and the prettiest wildflowers out to play, here's a quick guide to make your own daisy chain (the metaphor and the flower crown. But mostly the flower crown):

1. Find a patch of daisies - be it the middle of the woods or the side of the road. Go on a hunt. If it ends in flowers, it's been a good day.

2. Pick a daisy, leaving about ten centimeters of stem. Use your thumb nail to make a little slit at the end and thread another daisy (stem first) through the hole.

3. Repeat the process until your chain fits your head. Too small is better than too big - that way it'll sit on top of your head without slipping.

4. Once your chain is the length you're looking for, finish it up by linking the first and last flowers. Make a slit in the stem of the last daisy and threat the first daisy (flower first) through it.

5. Crown yourself queen of summer nights, big decisions and daisy chains, and be happy with your choices. Things don't always work out on the first try. Sometimes you have to toss a few flowers away, bend a few petals or just scrap the whole thing. But you get to choose. You get to choose who and what and where is worthy of a place in your daisy chain. And you weave them real close.