You Look Like the First Day of Spring - Sunshine and Daffodils in My Mountain Garden in Murphy NC

Or do you look like you've just been through a long, hard winter? According to Zig Zigler, one of my favorite speakers on the motivational circuit, you can describe the same thing but paint 2 very different word pictures.

So how do I describe this hardy little soul, peeking out of a pile of fallen leaves in a corner of my woodland garden on March 7 in Murphy, North Carolina? This is the first year that I've lived in the mountains and haven't seen flowers blooming in February. A solitary little daffodil is the only one brave enough to come out into the long-awaited sunshine - or foolish enough to risk another cold spell.

I can't help thinking about all of us in America who have weathered our own long, hard winter over the last few years. Jobs lost, homes gone, weddings, babies and retirement plans postponed because of the tough economic conditions...there have been plenty of reasons to keep our heads buried, to stay safe and not take any risks.

But today the sun is shining and although a bit tattered, the world is looking a little brighter. Maybe it's time to take a lesson from this courageous flower and let ourselves bloom again.