The Card

This past weekend, my mom gave me something that I have not been able to stop thinking about. It was a card. It read, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over - it became a butterfly." It just got me to thinking. Imagine being a caterpillar. One day you are crawling around and suddenly you feel the urge to gorge yourself until all you can do it roll up into a ball and hide yourself in this "shell". Imagine how dark it must be inside. What is going on? Why am I in here? Will I ever see the light of day again? Weeks and weeks go by with no end in sight. It has become almost unbearable. But suddenly, something changes. The shell begins to weaken and there seems to be a crack in it's impenetrable armor. You squirm to get a glimpse of the light that is coming through the small opening. Could it be? Could it be that I will escape this dark cocoon that has had it grip on me for so long? Or is my mind playing tricks on me again? I will never get out of here! That hole is too small! I've been in here so long, why should things change? But it's too uncomfortable in here. Actually, it hurts. You have no choice. You have to move. So you wriggle and wriggle to get yourself free. You get tired. You stop. You wonder if you should give up. Maybe it's not worth it to get out of here. What's the point? Maybe this is a futile effort - despite your doubts, you keep going. Before you know it, you are outside of the cocoon. Exhausted, you sit there letting the light hit your body. You have been under great pressure, pushed beyond your limits but you have freed yourself. As you stretch out your aching body, you realize that you have these beautiful, glorious wings! Oh, my God where did these come from? You spread the wings to get a better look. They are strong and delicate; covered in a palette of colors that rivals the most extraordinary rainbow. With these you will no longer be relegated to crawling around on the ground with the fear of being stomped by trampling feet. You can now explore like never before; getting an ariel view of things; going from flower to flower and tasting the sweet nectar inside. This is what you were destined to do. You were meant to fly.