Sometimes our most carefully laid out plans and projects just don't
work out very well. Other times, with little effort, our attempts seem to
prosper. I frequently go through elaborate efforts for family gatherings
only to find that the unexpected get-togethers are far more fun! With
household projects and gardening, I have also experienced this same result:
the spontaneous improvisation seems to go better and be more fun.
For years I have tried to plant tulips and daffodils -- with no good
results! Last fall a friend at work brought in a huge collection of bulbs
for all of us to take. Finally, because no one else took any, I brought
both boxes full home. One spring-like day in December about two weeks
before Christmas, I took a small scoop and walked around casually turning
up soil all over the yard -- in gardens, in borders, here, there,
everywhere -- and popping in the bulbs. Of course, I was careful to put the
bulbs the right way up and not to get them too deep, but I really did not
trouble myself over the task. You guessed it! This spring I have many
hearty, healthy, gloriously colored tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths all
over the yard! Perhaps these flowers are a gift of love rather than a
product of rule-following effort!
