Butterfly Beauty….. Delicate Strength….. These are the words that surround this post. What isn’t there to love about a butterfly? They flutter with an almost majestic presence yet are silent in nature. It is their unassuming existence that actually catches your attention before one sees the glorious coloring of their wings. Even those without bright color have a depth of shading that is beautiful in its own right. Yet, upon further investigation these wings may appear nearly translucent by the sun, showing the intricate details of their delicate exoskeleton. It is the realization that these creatures have an undeniable strength within themselves that makes them so undeniably breathtaking.
Upon even further study, it is not only that a butterfly can fly up to 3,000 miles to reach their destination with little rest, or that their life spans are short, only serving as a mating process to release more butterflies to the earth but their journey in this process that fascinates me. They live in a series of 4 life cycles, gaining strength throughout each phase. From a human perspective it should be noted that these life phases are all completed alone, total isolation after emerging from their egg.
Locked in a chrysalis, surrounded by total darkness, a butterfly must use their wings to set themselves free by breaking the barrier that held them within a self-made prison. Their wings are crumpled and wet once emerged but the struggle served to strengthen their wings, preparing them for flight. At times a witness may have observed the struggle of the butterfly. The desperation apparent as the butterfly worked its way through, but had they stepped up to help the butterfly, they would have only weakened its wings.
So… in reflection of the strength in the delicate beauty that encompasses a butterfly we learn that their power comes from the fight that they are forced to face alone on their personal life journey. They encounter more in their life then most of us can even imagine but they overcome in a feat of pure courage, to grace the world with their beauty and strength. I leave you with the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson; “Believe in yourself, our strength grows out of our weakness.”
