Sunday, July 11, 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 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."
>>>>
>>>> "How far will we have to drive?"
>>>>
>>>> "Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used
to
>>>>this. 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 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.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Pass this on to someone special... I JUST DID.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to LOVE and be
LOVED in
>>>>return."
The Origin. 7/11/2004 05:53:00 pm
