h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Something my best friend reminded me of...that I desperately needed to remember. I don't know who wrote this, and I have abbreviated it a little for length, but.....




THE DAFFODIL PRINCIPLE

.....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; then, turning a corner of the
path, 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 wondered.

"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 none.

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.



by way of someone named Yvonne, then by way of Nancy.