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Flower Power: Daffodil Principle more than a guide for gardeners
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Published: April 18, 2009
Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.
Jackie Robinson
Dream big! That's a worthy aspiration, isn't it?
It is also the title of an inspirational message written by an unknown author. We are encouraged to dream, persist, trust and — since we will only pass this way once — to do it right.
It gets right to the point. If there were ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily, but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your aspiration, your dream. You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch. Dream big.
Makes sense, doesn't it?
And so does another thought I found in a file of inspirational material I collect. It is not too late to make today count, even though the world is a mess and you might not be as young as you once were. Of course, you have to take that first step. You may have made a few mistakes in life, we all have, and a few wrong turns along the way. Still, it is not too late.
Making your dreams come true and your days count are both important. They add meaning to living. Consider the story about daffodils and a lesson a mother learned while visiting her daughter. The moral is known as the Daffodil Principle.
After making excuses, the mother reluctantly gives in to her daughter's repeated invitation to see the daffodils on the side of a mountain. According to the daughter, the daffodils were beautiful and she wanted her mother to see the beauty for herself.
As the story goes, after traveling down a small gravel road, the mother gasped as she looked up at the side of the mountain. Before her were five acres of flowers.
"It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes," said the mother.
A hand-lettered sign read, "Daffodil Garden." The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.
Wanting to know who had done this, the mother was directed by her daughter to a small frame house. "It's just one woman," she told her mother. "That's her home."
Walking up to the house, they read this posted message: "Answers to the questions I know you are asking." The commonly asked questions had been anticipated and responses prepared: How many bulbs? Who planted them? How long did it take?
The first answer was simple, "50,000 bulbs." While that is impressive, how she did it was quite simple. It took a little action over a period of time. She explained that there is value in doing something you love over time. It can have impact. "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet and very little brain. Began in 1958." She had a sense of humor, too. For more than 40 years, this woman had planted a bulb at a time, bringing her vision of beauty to a mountaintop.
While the mother was glad she accepted her daughter's invitation to see the garden, she felt a little sad. She was wondering what might have been accomplished in her life, if only she had started something she loved years ago. However, instead of regret for what she didn't do yesterday, her daughter encouraged her to start that day.
Move toward your goals, desires and what you love, one step at a time. When you multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, you too might realize you can accomplish magnificent things. It is not too late to make today count. Dream big. Then, take the first step.
Nigel Alston is a Dale Carnegie trainer and motivational speaker who lives in Winston-Salem. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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