The Relentless Butterfly

Once upon a time, there was a caterpillar who was very busy doing caterpillar things. Day in, day out, she scurried on the ground, just caterpillaring, caterpillaring, caterpillaring. Then one day, something floated by her on the breeze, and she looked up to see a beautiful golden butterfly, dancing and gliding through the air. The golden butterfly landed on a nearby flower, so the caterpillar inched over to get a closer look. To her surprise, the butterfly noticed her, looked directly into her eyes and said, “We are the same, you know. You’re a butterfly too, on the inside. You just have to believe.” And with that, the golden butterfly soared away, higher and higher into the sky. The caterpillar sat there, following it with her eyes until she could no longer see it. Then she stayed a little longer, thinking about what the butterfly had said. Was it true? It couldn’t be. How could she, this ordinary caterpillar, be the same as that amazing golden butterfly? She shook her head and turned back to resume her caterpillaring. As the days turned into weeks, she found herself thinking of the golden butterfly more and more, wondering how it felt to be that free, just floating on the breeze and flitting from flower to flower. Sometimes, when she looked up at the sky, a feeling within her would stir, but she would quickly dismiss it and get back to her caterpillaring. Then one morning, as she awoke, she could feel the remnants of a dream tickling the back of her brain. It was the golden butterfly saying, “We are the same. Trust me. But you have to believe. Truly believe. And then work for it.” Her eyes flew open. She knew exactly what she had to do and got moving.

The caterpillar hurried across the ground, searching intently overhead. Once she found the perfect spot, she looked around at the only world that she had ever known, climbed up the stem that she had chosen, attached herself to the bottom of a leaf and bid that world adieu without a second thought. Over the course of the next few hours, her caterpillar body was basically shed and discarded to make way for the chrysalis that had formed underneath it. She sighed, settled comfortably within her temporary home and was soon fast asleep. After quite some time, she awoke and could tell that something about her had changed, changed so significantly that there was no going back to the caterpillar that she had been just a few days ago.

Although she was still in her chrysalis, she could move and stretch her new muscles, getting stronger and stronger - preparing her for the final phase of her metamorphosis.

She rested a while and even slept a bit more. Then when she awoke again, she knew that it was time. She was sure of it, more sure of it than she had ever been of anything. Her instincts took over, and she began to push against the walls of her chrysalis, testing to see how strong it was. Although she felt more agile and powerful, the walls only stretched and didn’t yield. She pushed again, this time harder, but still nothing budged. Regrouping, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it and then relaxed her whole body. She exhaled slowly, thinking, “OK. I can do this. I've just got to concentrate and push as hard as I can.”

She gathered her strength and pushed against the walls of her chrysalis with all of her might. Miraculously, she heard (and felt!) it tear a little. But where? She looked around her and saw nothing. No rips, no daylight. Disappointed and defeated, she turned her head upwards in exasperation. And there it was. A rip. Above her.

She clamored upwards and put her face up to the fissure, seeing and feeling a sliver of sunlight that warmed and rejuvenated her. She tore at the hole, and it ripped just enough that she might be able to climb out through the top of her chrysalis, adjacent to where it was anchored to the leaf. She frantically clawed at the opening, trying to make it bigger, but it wouldn’t yield, so she grabbed onto each side of the hole and started to slowly and steadily squeeze herself through. Once she got herself about halfway out, she stopped to catch her breath and looked around. Although the world was exactly the same as it was when she went in, it all looked completely different from up here. Everything was new. Anything was possible. Giddy with excitement and promise, she pushed down with all of her might, relentlessly twisting and thrashing, and then she was finally able to free the rest of her body from the crevice. Exhausted, she rested for a moment with her eyes closed, panting from the enormous effort. As her breathing slowed, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. She was crouched atop the remnants of her mangled chrysalis with the entire world at her feet. Her very different butterfly feet. And her wings! Her breath caught in her throat as she watched her wings unfurl for the very first time. Tears filled her eyes. They were the most beautiful things that she had ever seen - even more beautiful than the golden butterfly who had taught her who she really was. As her new wings fluttered in the breeze with the sun shining on them, they were almost incandescent. Ivory in color, but yellowed around the edges, they looked like the pages of a cherished book. As she acclimated to being back out in the sun, she blinked and then blinked again, not believing what else she saw. Because there, right on her beautiful ivory-yellow wings, were words. Her words. Telling her story. The story of where she came from and how she got here - exactly like the pages of a treasured book. Her book.