Yes, Butterflies Are Free—And So Am I

The air is alive with yellow butterflies today. Everywhere I walk or look my eyes are entranced by their joyful acrobatics. I’ve watched them fly, twist and turn in all directions. They’ve encircled my head, rubbed noses with each other and introduced themselves to every flower.

In many ways, these butterflies remind me of two year old children who are excited about their new-found ability to walk upright and explore the world around them. Two-year-olds always seem so exhilarated as they chase after all of the mysteries and fascinations their ever-expanding worlds have to offer them.

Remember when you chased after life with wide-eyed wonderment? Remember when everything seemed new and exciting? Remember when you thought you had wings-enough to float through life like a butterfly?

Inside my heart, I hear a solid round of “No, no, no.” It’s been so long since everything seemed radiant and beautiful to me that I don’t remember what it was like to experience the world anew with pure wonderment. Seems it didn’t take long for the beauty of life to become tainted in my little world. And it’s been tainted for a long, long time.

I’m taking a lesson from the butterflies, however. And that lesson is this: Sometimes I see butterflies flowing low to the ground, and sometimes I have feelings that keep me low to the ground, so I can relate. Maybe I just need to be OK with flying low to the ground when my feelings are weighing me down. It’s OK to be with those feelings and to fly low until they float through me and I have the energy to fly higher.

On the days I do have the energy to fly higher, maybe I ought to stop wasting that energy, stop taking it for granted. On those days I need to learn to go for life, to go fly after what I really want and need, to fly high enough to really live the rainbow of colors that life is.

Get outside and take some lessons from the butterflies today!