The story of Butterfly
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!
In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
required by the butterfly to get through the opening
was a way of forcing the fluid from the body
into the wings so that it would be ready
for flight once that was achieved.
Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We will not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.
So have a nice day and struggle a little and teach well.
The Butterfly
Watch the beautiful butterfly
She emerges from her cocoon
Unsure but unafraid
Stumbling into the world
Captivating in sight
Everything else is dulled
By her color
Hold it gently
Clasped with both hands
Protect its beauty
From those who wish
To exploit it
Don’t smother her so
Block out blinding light
The wings are paper thin
Struggling against your palms
Her life will corrode away
Leaving nothing but dust
A whisper of a memory
And nothing more
