"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
~Maya Angelou
The Story of the Butterfly emerging was told to me originally years ago by a minister, and it touched me deeply. Here's a version adapted by author Paul Coelho: "A man spent hours watching a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. It managed to make a small hole, but its body was too large to get through it. After a long struggle, it appeared to be exhausted and remained absolutely still.
The man decided to help the butterfly and, with a pair of scissors, he cut open the cocoon, thus releasing the butterfly. However, the butterfly’s body was very small and wrinkled and its wings were all crumpled.
The man continued to watch, hoping that, at any moment, the butterfly would open its wings and fly away. Nothing happened; in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its brief life dragging around its shrunken body and shrivelled wings, incapable of flight.
What the man – out of kindness and his eagerness to help – had failed to understand was that the tight cocoon and the efforts that the butterfly had to make in order to squeeze out of that tiny hole were Nature’s way of training the butterfly and of strengthening its wings." ~Anonymous
I am a caterpillar who wants to fly. I have been dutifully following Nature's path of struggle to break through the tiny hole in my cocoon, but I'm stuck, I'm exhausted and it's dark in here! No, don't come running (or walking) with the scissors. I must get unstuck myself, if I'm ever going to fly. Encouragement is appreciated, maybe even some cheering from the sidelines. You could throw me some chocolate. I'm not above needing a boost :) But, I am certain I can take on this life altering transformation, this scary-beautiful rebirth into a totally new way of being. I have faith. After all, a caterpillar has no way of knowing what its struggles are heralding. I do.
So, maybe I should re-title this blog post to: "Having a Butterfly Moment", since it's focusing on the positive outcome. But, the caterpillar moment is more honest. Still struggling. Still becoming. Still trying too hard to "be still and know".
Perhaps today will be the breakthrough to butterfly...
The man decided to help the butterfly and, with a pair of scissors, he cut open the cocoon, thus releasing the butterfly. However, the butterfly’s body was very small and wrinkled and its wings were all crumpled.
The man continued to watch, hoping that, at any moment, the butterfly would open its wings and fly away. Nothing happened; in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its brief life dragging around its shrunken body and shrivelled wings, incapable of flight.
What the man – out of kindness and his eagerness to help – had failed to understand was that the tight cocoon and the efforts that the butterfly had to make in order to squeeze out of that tiny hole were Nature’s way of training the butterfly and of strengthening its wings." ~Anonymous
I am a caterpillar who wants to fly. I have been dutifully following Nature's path of struggle to break through the tiny hole in my cocoon, but I'm stuck, I'm exhausted and it's dark in here! No, don't come running (or walking) with the scissors. I must get unstuck myself, if I'm ever going to fly. Encouragement is appreciated, maybe even some cheering from the sidelines. You could throw me some chocolate. I'm not above needing a boost :) But, I am certain I can take on this life altering transformation, this scary-beautiful rebirth into a totally new way of being. I have faith. After all, a caterpillar has no way of knowing what its struggles are heralding. I do.
So, maybe I should re-title this blog post to: "Having a Butterfly Moment", since it's focusing on the positive outcome. But, the caterpillar moment is more honest. Still struggling. Still becoming. Still trying too hard to "be still and know".
Perhaps today will be the breakthrough to butterfly...
