Michelle's Rantings

Fw: The Daffodil Principle

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:40:25 GMT

From: Stacey Draper <sadraper2005@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fw: The Daffodil Principle

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to 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 reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house, I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly 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.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"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. On the far side of the road, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden."
W e got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, 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 over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.

"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting 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 one brain."

The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

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. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived.
One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary 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.

She was right. 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?"

Use the Daffodil Principle. 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 clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
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!

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

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Time goes by

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:13:48 GMT

SO THE TIME HAS GONE BY AND ALMOST A WEEK WITHOUT A ENTRY, GUESS I AM FALLING BACK INTO MY OLD WAYS. WE WON BOTH SOFTBALL GAMES LAST THURSDAY AND NOW THE TEAM IS IN FT. LAUDERDALE FOR SPRING TRAINING. THAT WHAT THEY DID AS A TEAM FOR SPRING BREAK.

SO NOT TOO MUCH GOING ON THIS WEEK WITH NO SOFTBALL. MY GRAND DAUGHTER IS IN TOWN FOR THE WEEK SO I WILL PROB. SPEND SOME TIME WITH HER. MY OTHER GRAND DAUGHTER IS GOING TO HAVE A BABY ON MAY 23 RD AND I NEED TO GO DO SOME SHOPPING FOR PRESENTS FOR HER AND THE BABY!!!!

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY INSULIN PUMP BACK ON TRACK AND GET MY SUGAR UNDER CONTROL, THAT IS REALLY A PAIN IN THE BUTT. SO NOT ONLY DO I HAVE TO WEAR MY PUMP BUT I HAVE BEEN ALSO WEARING THIS CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR AND THEN EVERY MORNING I GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND THEY DOWNLOAD THE INFORMATION FROM BOTH OF THEM AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO MY MEDS. THE WORSE PART IS HAVING TO BEHAVE MYSELF.

SO THATS ABOUT IT FOR TODAY, GOT TO KNOCK OUT SOME MORE WORK, OH YEAH I GOT MY OFFICE CARPETED YESTERDAY AND IT IS SO NICE :)

TAKE CARE

MICHELLE

Holiday

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:29:03 GMT

SO TODAY IS A HOLIDAY IN OUR HOUSE-----------THE FIRST SOFTBALL GAME OF THE SEASON!!!!! AND IT IS ACTUALLY A NICE DAY OUT, SUNNY AND ABOUT 56. I AM JUST CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO GET OUT OF WORK, I AM LEAVING EARLY AS I CANNOT NOT WAIT.

THIS IS HER SR YEAR AND IT IS SO EXCITING. HUBBY IS ALSO LEAVING WORK EARLY SO THAT WE CAN GET THERE IN PLENTY OF TIME.

WELL I WASN'T LEAVING WORK FOR ANOTHER 1/2 HR BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WHEN I AM DONE WITH THIS I AM SO OUT OF HERE.

HAVE A NICE NIGHT

MICHELLE

Just some pics

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:05:52 GMT

SO NOT ALOT TO TALK ABOUT TODAY SO I THOUGHT I WOULD ADD SOME PICS. THESE ARE SOME OF RISSA SR. PICS, WE HAVE NOT MADE A FINAL DECISION YET AS SHE HAD SO MANY TAKEN.

SO DONT ASK WHAT HAPPEN HERE WHEN I WAS DOING THIS, ANYWAYS I COULD ONLY ADD 8 SO NEXT TIME I WILL ADD SOME MORE

HAVE A NICE EVENING

TAKE CARE

MICHELLE

A Bit PO'd

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:44:14 GMT

SO I AM SO PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW!!! I AM AT WORK AND WE HAD SOME COMPUTER ISSUES LAST WEEK WITH TWO OF THE GUYS LAP TOPS, MY TECH GUY SHOWS UP THIS AM SPEND 2 1/2 HRS BASICALLY DOING NOTHING BUT MESSING AROUND AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED!!!!

I HAVE ANOTHER GUY DRIVING 30 MILES BRINGING IN HIS LAP TOP TO GET SOME CHANGES MADE THAT SHOULD OF BEEN DONE WHEN IT WAS SET UP LAST WEEK, SO THE TECH GUY SAYS I GOT TO RUN AND GET MY PHONE AND BE RIGHT BACK 10 MIN. AT THE MOST, WELL ITS BEEN 1 HOUR AND HES NOT BACK, DOESN'T ANSWER HIS CELL AND I HAVE A GUY BEING PAID $29.00 A HOUR SITTING HERE STARING AT ME.

I CALLED THE TECH COMPANY AND COMPLAINED!!!! I HAVE SPENT MY ENTIRE LUNCH SITTING HERE, I STILL WILL GET LUNCH IT JUST ISN'T AT MY NORMAL TIME.

I HAVE NOT GOT ANYTHING DONE TODAY YET, AND IT IS PAYROLL DAY THAT BITES. MY BOSS WAS OUT OF TOWN LAST WEEK FOR A CONFERENCE AND WHEN HE FLEW IN FRIDAY NIGHT HE THEN HAD TO GET IN HIS CAR AND DRIVE TO NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE HE HAD A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, I HAVE USED UP ALL THE SIGNED CHECKS SO HE IS TRYING TO GET BACK HERE TODAY SO THAT HE CAN SIGN THE PAYROLL. NO BIG DEAL TO ME, THEY CAN GET PAID TOMORROW.

IT IS RAINING CATS AND DOGS AND SO VERY GLOOMY.

I HOPE Y'ALL ARE HAVING A BETTER MONDAY THEN MINE SO FAR.

TAKE CARE AND STAY DRY

MICHELLE

Just Saturday

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:23:32 GMT

WELL ITS SATURDAY NOTHING NEW HAPPENING WITH ME - WHICH IS A GOOD THING. WE WENT TO THE CASINO FOR ABOUT 8 HRS LAST NIGHT, WE PLAYED ON THIER MONEY SO THAT WAS FUN AND THEN AT OUR CASINO YOU COMP GETS YOU SUBWAY FOOD AS IT IS A SMALL CASINO AND THE ONLY RESTRAUNT SO WE ATE THERE AND THEN BROUGHT HOME SALADS FOR TODAY. I WAS TIRED THIS AM I SLEPT UNTIL 9:30 AND HUBBY HAD TO GO TO WORK AT 7AM.

WENT AND GOT MY EYEBROWS WAXED AND A MANICURE, WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE, TOOK DAUGHTER FOR SPORTS PHYSICAL AND WENT TO RED LOBSTER WITH HER FOR LUNCH, THEN A SHORT TRIP TO THE MALL. I COOKED A ROAST FOR SUPPER BUT WASN'T HUNGRY.

I SPENT MY EVENING SO FAR WORKING ON LITTLE LEAGUE STUFF, I HAVE TO GET THE ROSTERS TYPED IN AND HANDED TO THE COACHES AND GET UNIFORMS ORDERED SO THAT IS A VERY TIME CONSUMING JOB.

HUBBY MADE US A FIRE TONIGHT AND OMG IT IS SO HOT IN HERE AND HE WENT TO BED ALREADY SO I AM JUST WAITING FOR THE FIRE TO DIE DOWN AND PROBABLY RELAX A BIT AND PLAY A GAME OR TO AT POGO.

DOES ANYONE BELONG TO POGO? I DO.

OK I HAVEN'T STARTED MY NEW JOURNAL YET SO THAT WHY I AM POSTING HERE.

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GOOD SATURDAY. TALK TO YOU LATER

MICHELLE

I am still here

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:10:59 GMT

SO YEP I AM STILL HERE, I AM PLANNING AND HAVE BEEN SINCE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR ON DOING A NEW JOURNAL THAT WILL NOT BE PRIVATE, JUST NEED THE TIME TO GET IT GOING. SO FOR NOW SINCE ALL IS DELETED I WILL OPEN THIS UP FOR A BIT AND MAYBE GET MY BUTT IN GEAR AND START MY NEW JOURNAL.

SO KELLY IF YOU ARE READING THIS I AM PACKING MY BAGS AND WAITING FOR YOU. I WILL PASS ON BRINGING BOTH MY DOGS JUST THE PIT AS MY OTHER ONE IS TO OLD AND LAZY TO TRAVEL.

EVERYONE ELSE HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW I DO STILL READ JOURNALS AND TRY TO COMMENT WHEN POSSIBLE.

MY FAVORITE SEASON IS UPON US "SOFTBALL SEASON" THIS IS MY DAUGHTERS SR. YEAR SO WE ARE HOPING FOR ONE MORE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP !!!!! I AM STILL LITTLE LEAGUE PRESIDENT AND ALSO COACH A SUMMER TEAM WITH THE HUBBY SO WE WILL BE BUSY BUSY PEOPLE

HOPE TO POST AGAIN SOON

TAKE CARE ALL