Alive, Free & Feeding the Flowers
Today is my 46th birthday.
And I can’t remember another birthday where I’ve felt so wholeheartedly ALIVE and FREE.
Like a butterfly.
As a metaphor junkie, the life cycle of a butterfly is the perfect representation of my transformational journey.
The caterpillar’s job is to eat and eat to become bigger. As it grows larger, it sheds its skin about 4 or 5 times. Caterpillars can grow 100 times their size during this stage. When the caterpillar is full grown and stops eating, it becomes a pupa. The pupa of butterflies is also called a chrysalis. The chrysalis may be hidden in leaves or buried underground, and it is protected inside a silk cocoon. This stage can last from a few weeks to a few years. It may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside.
My teaching, writing, coaching and leading have all been my steady “diet” of growth. As I evolved in each area, I shed that “skin” to make way for the next stage of growth. While that evolution was exciting, there were scary moments during this transformation. My personal struggles, my anxiety, my fear, my pain and my grief were also necessary components of my “nutrition” that I needed to flourish. The cocoon was indeed dark at times, especially this past year.
Yet, we have the power of choice in how to move forward. We can make the decision to channel our pain and fear into growth and evolution. We can mimic the work of the caterpillar and pupa if we are brave enough to endure the transformation that awaits us within the darkness of the cocoon.
When the hidden chrysalis finally completes its renewal, a colorful, winged butterfly emerges and takes flight: ALIVE and FREE!
NOW, the butterfly can fulfill its purpose: to carry pollen (love, inspiration and hope) from one flower to another.
As I was researching the life cycle of caterpillars and butterflies, the image of the bookcover Hope For the Flowers popped up. I literally had to catch my breath; I recognized this book immediately from my childhood. Even more poignant, it was a gift from my beloved Aunt Kathy. Through my tears, I remembered the story…
Stripe and Yellow are caterpillars who struggle to “climb to the top” before understanding that they are meant to fly. They make the bold, brave, painful and beautiful decision to change.
“How does one become a butterfly?” Yellow asks pensively.
“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”
