Several times my daughter called to say:
- Mom, you should come to see the daffodils before they wither.
I wanted to go, but the drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead takes a full two hours.
“I’ll come next Tuesday,” I promised reluctantly when she called for the third time.
On Tuesday morning the weather was cold and rainy. But I promised. So reluctantly I went. When I eventually entered Carolyn's house, I was greeted by the joyful voices of happy children. I hugged my grandchildren with pleasure.
- Forget about daffodils, Carolyn! In these clouds and fog you can’t even see the road. And there is nothing in the world, except you and these children, whom I would like to see as much as to drive just one more inch!
My daughter smiled calmly and said:
- Mom, we travel in this weather all the time.
“Well, you won’t drag me back to the road until the sky is clear, and then I’ll go home!” - I assured her.
“But first we’ll look at the daffodils.” It’s just a couple of blocks from here,” Carolyn replied. - I'll drive the car. I'm already used to it.
“Carolyn,” I said sternly, “please come back.”
- It's okay, mom. I promise you will never forgive yourself if you miss this.
About twenty minutes later we turned onto a narrow gravel road and saw a small church. On the side of the church I noticed a handmade inscription that read: “Daffodil Garden.”
We got out of the car. Each of us took the child's hand. I followed Carolyn along the path. Then, as we turned the corner and I looked up, my breath stopped. A magnificent view stretched out before me.
It was as if someone had taken a tank of gold and poured it onto the top and sides of the mountain. The flowers were planted in such a way that they created grand, swirling patterns, wonderful ribbons and stripes of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, soft pink and saffron. Daffodils of specific colors were planted in large groups so that it resembled the twists and turns of a river of unique hues. 5 acres of land were covered with flowers.
-Who created this? I asked Carolyn.
“Just one woman,” my daughter answered. - She lives on this land. This is her home.
Carolyn pointed to a well-kept little house that sat modestly in the middle of all this beauty. That's where we headed.
Near the house we saw a poster with the title: “Answers to the questions I know you are asking.”
The first answer was simple: “50,000 bulbs.”
Second answer: "One at a time, just one woman. Two arms, two legs and one mind."
Third answer: “Started in 1958.”
For me, this moment was a life-changing experience. I thought about this woman I had never met. More than forty years ago she began this work, one onion at a time. And all in order to bring your vision of beauty and joy to an inconspicuous mountain. By planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this woman, a stranger to me, forever changed the world in which she lives.
Day after day she created something magnificent, beautiful and inspiring. The principle that the daffodil garden teaches her is one of the most important. Namely: moving towards our goals and desires one step at a time, often baby steps, and learning to love what you do. When we multiply tiny amounts of time with small investments of daily effort, we also discover that we can achieve amazing things. We can change the world.
“I feel kind of sad about all this,” I admitted to Carolyn. - What would I achieve if I thought of a wonderful goal 35-40 years ago and worked on it “one onion at a time” all these years?! Just think of what I could achieve!
My daughter defined the day's message in her usual straightforward manner:
- Start tomorrow! - she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think about the lost hours of yesterday. There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru