Guest guest Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 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 You 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 mountaintop. 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 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? " > > So, stop waiting... > > Until your car or home is paid off > Until you get a new car or home > Until your new job comes along > 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 spring > 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. > > If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special. > > I just did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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