The world slipped bright over the glassy round of his eyeballs like images sparked in a crystal sphere. Flowers were suns and fiery spots of sky strewn throughout the woodland. Birds flickered like skipped stones across the cast inverted pond of heaven. His breath raked over his teeth, going in ice, coming out fire.

Douglas is conscious of the fact that he is alive, and he feels utter bliss. As if for the first time, he is truly aware of everything around him. Douglas learns that he is alive at the beginning of the book, and this awe and wonder at the beauty of life and the world we live in lasts in one form or another through the rest of the story. Although Douglas himself does not always hold firm to enjoying this sentiment, at no time during the book is the majesty of life itself forgotten. The dandelion wine takes on new meaning for Douglas because he sees each bottle as a little bit of magic, a tiny amount of life. Douglas' discovery is what sets him on the path toward the inevitable conclusion that he will die someday, but he reaches that end without losing hold of the magic that started the process.