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The Daffodil Principle.

The Daffodil Principle.

I found this delightful story and decided to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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 I reluctantly 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 and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign with an arrow that read, “Daffodil Garden.” We 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, and 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. “50,000bulbs,” 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 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 yesterday. 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…..

This is such a powerful message. – 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 have never been hurt. Dance like no one is watching.

Until next time

Julie

How Borrow Box App and Audiobooks Transformed My Reading Experience

How Borrow Box App and Audiobooks Transformed My Reading Experience

 

Reading is a wonderful hobby that not only provides entertainment but also stimulates the mind and promotes personal growth. For many years, I carried books with me everywhere I went and treasured the experience of reading a physical book. However, as much as I loved books, the burden of paying fines and having to leave them behind when traveling became a real inconvenience. Fortunately, technology has provided an alternative for book lovers, and I’ve discovered an app that has changed the way I read.

In this blog post, I’ll share my experience with the BorrowBox app, which has enabled me to access a world off books at my fingertips without ever having to leave my home or pay a fine for late returns. I’ll also explore the benefits of using audiobooks, which have become an integral part of my daily routine.

The Struggle of a Book Lover

As a book lover, I had always enjoyed visiting the library, discovering new books, and spending hours browsing the shelves. However, I was also notorious for being late with my returns, and as a result, I ended up paying fines regularly. The inconvenience of having to pay fines and leave books behind when traveling made me consider alternative options.   

I resisted buying a Kindle or an iPad for a long time, as I was attached to the feel of a physical book. I couldn’t imagine reading a book on a screen, and the stories I told myself were that it just wasn’t the same. However, after a while, I realized that there had to be a better way to access books without the inconvenience of paying fines or leaving them behind.   

 

 

The Introduction of the Borrow Box App

One day, I discovered the Borrow Box app, which was a library app that allowed me to access a wide range of books from the comfort of my home. The app enabled me to borrow e-books and audiobooks from my local library and access them on my iPad or iPhone. I could browse the library’s catalog, reserve books, and borrow them without ever having to leave my home.

The app was easy to use, and the selection of books was vast, with new releases and popular titles available to borrow. I could also read at my own pace, and there was never any pressure to return the books on time or pay a fine for late returns. I was thrilled to have access to so many books without the inconvenience of having to leave my home or pay fines.

The Benefits of Audiobooks

While I enjoyed reading e-books, I also discovered the benefits of using audiobooks. Audiobooks have become an integral part of my daily routine, and I listen to them while doing household chores, cooking, or going for a walk. Audiobooks have enabled me to continue reading while carrying out other tasks, which has been incredibly convenient.

Audiobooks have also been a great way to engage with books that I may not have otherwise read. For example, I’ve listened to books on topics that I may not have picked up in a physical book format, such as biographies or memoirs. Audiobooks have allowed me to discover new genres and expand my reading horizons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Borrow Box app has changed the way I access books and has made reading more convenient and enjoyable. The app has allowed me to borrow e-books and audiobooks from my local library without ever having to leave my home, pay fines, or worry about late returns. I have also discovered the benefits of using audiobooks, which have become an integral part of my daily routine.

For book lovers who are resistant to using technology to access books, I highly recommend giving the Borrow Box app a try. It’s easy to use and provides access to a vast selection of books. Similarly, for those who are new to audiobooks, it’s worth giving it a try. 

Until next time 

Julie

How to find more time in your day!

How to find more time in your day!

Hi There

Finding time is one of our challenges we all face. Sharing some tips here to help you find more time to do the things you really like to do, We are too consumed by our work hours and then by our responsibilities towards family and society that we get very little time for personal enrichment of any kind. We don’t find time to pursue a hobby, for example, or to go on a holiday or maybe to just go for a walk.

However, if we managed things in a better way, we could be able to find time for the things that we like to do. It is all about proper management.

Set Priorities

What are the most important things for you? Yes, you need to be good at your job and your wife and children need you, but don’t you have a responsibility towards yourself as well? We are not asking you to become selfish, but when you are spending the better part of your day at work and a significant amount of time each day performing your various other obligations, shouldn’t you spare an hour or two at least once every two days for your personal gratification? Remember that improving self is extremely vital.

What Is It You Would Like to Do?

Decide what you want to do with the time you get for yourself. Are you going to enrich it in some way? You may be planning to do something creative or just thinking of entertaining your mind so that you become more productive. When you know what you are going to do with your time, that in itself becomes an incentive. For instance, if you think that you will watch a movie when you are free, the movie itself becomes the incentive. You work faster so that you make sure to free up some time to watch it.

Make a Commitment

Just as you commit to perform all your other jobs, make a commitment to yourself as well. Commit that you will spend 1 hour each day on enriching yourself. This time could be when you return home from your office and want to just relax, or an hour before going to be or an hour in the early morning. But, promise to yourself that you will spend an hour on self-improvement and stick to that religiously.

Ask Others

Ask people you trust what changes they want to see in you. Ask them what they think you are good at. These are people you trust, people who don’t have any ulterior motives when they are talking with you. They will tell you the truth about what they want you to do. They will tell you to improve on your talents, to spend time for yourself and do what you are best at. When you find people telling you such things, you start making a conscious effort to spend time on yourself.

Until next time , Julie