Friday, October 12, 2007

So Simple

"How does one become a butterfly" she pensively asked.
"You must want to fly so much that you're willing to give up being a caterpillar"
- Trina Paulus, Hope for the Flowers

What a wonderful quote! It's a simple concept, but so strong. It forces one to look at the options:
1) stay in a safe cocoon as a fuzzy gray caterpillar
2) fly and float through the air, enjoying freedom and the beauty of the world.
It's also compelling that it's part of nature, a lifecycle. Everyone has to make this change

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We visited a butterfly forest in Aruba and it was there that i came to know that they live for a maximum of 2 to 3 weeks and it was really sad to hear that. Such beautiful creatures, their sole purpose is to mate and then they kinda die. It was really sad, but the butterfly forest was beautiful. All kinds doing all sorts of things. Eating, drinking, mating, cocooning, caterpillaring.. sigh

Anonymous said...

So what's wrong with that?

It reminds me of my favorite line from my favorite movie "Steel Magnolias" where Shelby (Julia Roberts) says, "I'd rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."

At least you KNOW what it's like to be happy, see beauty, enjoy, fly -- even if it is short-lived.

mermaid said...

We do...have to make changes, don't we? Nothing is static. Sometimes it takes me longer to acclimate to change than I would like, but at least I acclimate.

Anonymous said...

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.--William Blake

Anonymous said...

Mermaid - I think acceptance of change depends on how much control we have. If you feel changes are coming at you, without your permission and you have nothing to hold onto, it's very hard to accept. You actually go through the stages of mourning for the old state.

However, if you're making the change on your own terms, it's a lot more positive and empowering and ultimately, freeing.