The Daffodil Principle
Several
times my daughter had telephoned to say,
"Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they
are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour
drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come
next Tuesday," I promised, a little reluctantly, on
her third call.
>>
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had
promised, and so I drove there. When I finally
walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted
my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils,
Carolyn! The Road is invisible in the clouds and
fog, and there is nothing in the world except you
and these children that I want to see bad enough to
drive another inch!" My Daughter smiled calmly and
said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
>>
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it
clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured
her. "I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage
to pick up my car." "How far will we have to drive?"
"Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm
used to this."
>>
after several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we
going? This isn't the way to the garage!" "We're
going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled,
"by way of the daffodils." "Carolyn," I said
sternly, "please turn around" "It's all right,
Mother, I promise. you will never forgive yourself
if you miss this experience."
>>
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small
gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far
side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign that
read, "Daffodil Garden."
>>
We got out of the car and each took a child's hand,
and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we
turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and
gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It
looked as though someone had taken a great vat of
gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and
slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic,
swirling patterns great ribbons and swaths of deep
orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron,
and butter yellow. Each different colored variety
was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed
like its own river with its own unique hue.
>>
There were five acres of flowers. "But who has done
this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman,"
Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's
her home." Carolyn pointed to a well kept A frame
house that looked small and modest in the midst of
all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio,
we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know
Your Are Asking" was the headline.
>>
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs."
it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by
one woman, Two hands, two feet, and very little
brain." The third answer was "Began in 1958."
>>
There it was, The Daffodil Principle. For me, that
moment was a life changing experience. I thought of
this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty
years before, had begun one bulb at a time-to bring
her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain
top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year
after year, had changed the world.
>>
This unknown woman had forever changed the world in
which she lived. She had created something of
ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and
inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden
taught is one of the greatest principles of
celebration. That is, learning to move toward our
goals and desires one step at a time often just one
baby step at a time-and learning to love the doing,
learning to use the accumulation of time. When we
multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments
of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish
magnificent things. We can change the world.
>>
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn.
"What might I have accomplished if I had thought of
a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and
had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through
all those years. Just think what I might have been
able to achieve!" My daughter summed up the message
of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow,"
she said.
>>
It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of
yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of
celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only
ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
....Author
Unknown
We convince ourselves that life will be better after
we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we
are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and
we'll be more content when they are. After that,
we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal
with. We will certainly be happy when they are out
>>of that stage.
>>
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete
when our spouse gets his or her act together, when
we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice
vacation, or when we retire. The truth is there's no
better time to be happy than right now. If not now,
when? Your life will always be filled with
challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and
decide to be happy anyway.
>>
Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that
you have and treasure it more because you shared it
with someone special, special enough to spend your
time with... and remember that time waits for none.
>>
>>So, stop waiting...
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until you retire
Until summer
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die
>>
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work
like you don't need money. Love like you've never
been hurt. And, dance like no one's watching.