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Clear Pathways Coaching Newsletter, 4/9/07
Dear Friends:
Welcome to our monthly newsletter. We offer some
information, some inspiration and some features to keep you
smiling. Let’s celebrate the arrival of Spring that comes
with the hope and promise of all that is possible.
Warmly, Lillian
To read this newsletter on line go to:
http://www.clearpathwayscoaching.com.
Contents:
Quote of the month
Consider this
Article
Good Humor/Good Health
QUOTE
Each small task of everyday life is part of the total
harmony of the universe. - St. Theresa of Lisieux
CONSIDER THIS
What attitude do you hold as you go through your daily
tasks? The speed and accuracy of completed tasks and the
number of tasks accomplished are all commensurate with the
degree of positivity of one’s attitude towards the work.
(Those dwarfs had the idea whistling while they worked.)
ARTICLE
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils.
- William Wordsworth
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.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up
my car."
"How far will we have to drive?"
”Oh...just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "But I'll drive.
I'm used to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going?
This isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled,
"by way of the daffodils."
"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. "50,000 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.
GOOD HUMOR/GOOD HEALTH
Humor helps us to think out of the box. The average child
laughs about 400 times per day, the average adult laughs
only 15 times per day. What happened to the other 385
laughs? Perhaps you can find at least one of those missing
laughs with the following true story.
Five year old Gail walked in on her mother and father
hugging and kissing in the living room. Gail ran over to
them both and stood in between them and said. 'I sure hope
you guys is protective because I am not ready to share all
the attention I get around here.
Remember: he who laughs, lasts.
Lillian Mills, B.S., M.Ed.,
Certified Life & Wellness Coach
You may send comments, suggestions, or a contribution to
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