The Daffodil Principle
April 11 2008
I did not want to go see the daffodils that my friend said were so lovely, because it was cold and grey and drizzly, and they were on a bleak hillside, but she drove me there (with me feeling quietly grumpy and determined not to enjoy it!)
When we arrived the sight was amazing. There were five acres of flowers! It did not matter that the day was dull and grey, as the brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of bright sunshine.
“But who has done this, and why?” I asked my friend. “It is a lady that lives in the house over there”, she answered. We walked up to the house, and on the patio we saw a poster.
Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking”, was the headline:
1. 50,000 bulbs
2. One at a time
3. By one woman
4. Began in 1958.
There it was - The Daffodil Principle.
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure hilltop. There was no other way to do it other than one bulb at a time. There were no shortcuts. By just loving the slow process of planting, she had changed her world, and now mine.
The lesson I learned from seeing this amazing sight (The Daffodil Principle!) is that we should move towards our goals and desires one small step at a time but also love the journey. but seeing this wonderful achievement filled me with a little sadness and slight regret. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal years ago and had worked away at it, just think what I might have been able to achieve!”
My friend summed up the message of the day. "Start today!" she said. “It is pointless to think of the time that has already gone. Learning a lesson becomes a celebration, rather than a cause for regret, when we ask how we can put our new knowledge to use. Start today – ‘one bulb at a time’!"
So remember, if you are ever feeling a little helpless or anxious to reach a goal, that when we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We too can change the world.
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