Daffodil Principle

This is a favorite story of mine. Life is difficult. If we try each day to do some good, to do something positive, these daily choices or accomplishments will add up to something beautiful. They will comfort not only others but ourselves.

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. 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
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?"

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 you
have kids 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 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.