On my walk around the neighborhood park, my sister and I noticed black and red caterpillars slinking across the sidewalk. We weren’t sure what kind they were until we overheard a dad say to his daughter “Look sweetie, that’s gonna be a Monarch Butterfly someday”. How impressive! Based on the little spikey critters that were out, it looked like there would be lots of Monarchs in the near future.
After some sleuthing on Google, it turns out that no, the little guys I saw on the sidewalk weren’t Monarch caterpillars. We might have an interesting group of moths or Mourning Cloak butterflies in a few months? I also found out that the regal Monarch butterflies are possibly an endangered species. I did spot a few Monarch butterflies that day, but it was a challenge to take a photo of one. At any rate, it was cool to see nature at work.
It’s always a treat for me to watch butterflies dance in a blue sky on a nice sunny day. Observing the caterpillars struggle across cement made me wonder how something so small (and menacing to some) could end up so light and colorful, floating off to exotic lands. The answer is metamorphosis, a change that takes time and energy. There’s a bit of a struggle and hard work too. I don’t want to impress on anyone that life always have to be rough. However, sometimes we have to push a little more, do a little extra to grow, and soar toward our goals and dreams.
So friend, I encourage you to keep pushing toward your goals. Do a little extra whenever you can, to grow into the person you want to be. When life gets busy or hard please keep going. We all get tired. We all need a break from time to time. If you fall, that’s okay. The important part though is to get back up. Pick up that pen! Get on your feet! Dust off that goal! If you need help, reach out. Ask questions! Butterflies don’t just pop out of their cocoons by pushing a button. The struggle is real. Floating off to new adventures and turning your dreams into reality is real too, if you put in the work.