For the new year
Subject: The Daffodil Principle
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 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 no one.
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 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.
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