Here is something I have learned: if you want things to change, then they cannot stay the same. It sounds obvious, but with deeper reflection, becomes very profound. Human beings are experts in yearning. We desire, we imagine, we lust for the things we want in our lives. And yet, we are also hopelessly stubborn. Often we are afraid to let go of the very things that are limiting our growth...
Let us take our lessons from the butterflies today. They are busy gathering the last sweetness of summer before migrating to warmer climes and perhaps making their final farewells. Most butterflies live for only two to four weeks, although a lucky few species can last for nine to twelve months. It is a short life to be sure. But brevity does not limit their miraculous nature...
To become a butterfly the caterpillar must completely dissolve itself. While inside the chrysalis the caterpillar releases enzymes that totally digest its own body and reduce it to a soupy mess. The only structures that remain are called "imaginal discs." Yes, the caterpillar is left with nothing but its imagination with which to create the beautiful and radically altered butterfly it will become...
Can you stomach this self-digestive process in your own life? Are you willing to get messy in order to transform into the next version of yourself? What are you yearning for? What are the things that you believe must absolutely stay the same, but might actually be holding you back? What do you want to become in the next two to four weeks or nine to twelve months?
These are some of the questions I am circling around these days. I am a butterfly looking for a bush. I am a caterpillar considering my chrysalis. My imaginal discs are whispering that I may not completely fathom what I could become. It is possible, and some scientists will even say provable, that nothing ever stays the same. Perhaps all that is required is the courage to change...
Love.
Valarie
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