The Boy and The Butterfly

Networking is about building relationships, helping others and helping ourselves, sometimes we need to learn to let nature take it’s course......we can’t always have what we want, when we want it. The story below is a lesson in life.

This is the story of a little boy and a butterfly........

Have you ever stopped to think about the life of a butterfly? We all know that the first stage in a Butterfly’s life is as a caterpillar and that it has to spin a cocoon, then it must lay dormant for awhile and finally a wonderful process happens and the result is a beautiful butterfly.

What can we learn from the story of the butterfly?

Once upon a time there was a young boy who always asked why? He needed to know the reason for everything and sometime he drove his family crazy with his questions. He was out walking in the park with his mother one day and he saw a beautiful butterfly. He said, “ I wish I was a beautiful butterfly - no worries, brightly coloured wings and the ability to go wherever I want. His mother smiled and said, “ it sounds like a wonderful dream but do you know where that butterfly comes from and what it must do before it becomes that beautiful butterfly?.

The young boy shook his head - then ask the question? Where do butterfly’s come from? His mother sat him down on a park bench and began to explain how the butterfly starts out life as a caterpillar, crawling around the ground, hiding from birds who might just look on them as tasty morsels for an afternoon snack. She explained that the caterpillar decides when it’s time to rest and they find a comfortable tree or a shady spot and they spin a cocoon - almost like a silken blanket that covers them from top to bottom. It’s a warm, safe spot and soon the caterpillar begins to change, shedding their not so pretty look and beginning to develop the wonderful beauty that will eventually become a butterfly. The mother explained that the change takes time, but that it always happens and the result is a beautiful butterfly.

The young boy was really excited and asked if he could watch a caterpillar change into a butterfly - mom agreed and at the right time of the season - they went “caterpillar” hunting - looking for that perfect caterpillar, one they could watch and actually see the changes happening.

They found the perfect caterpillar and carefully placed it in a big jar - feeding it lots of leaves and making sure that the caterpillar had plenty of room within his safe environment. Sure enough, he began to spin the cocoon and eventually the caterpillar was completely covered with a silken blanket - there was nothing visible for the little boy to see, but the silken bundle.

He waited patiently watching and checking the jar daily, one day, he saw the cocoon beginning to move, ever so slowly a small hole was punctured in the silken bundle - the young boy was so excited he could hardly contain himself - he was anxiously awaiting the “birth” of his special butterfly! As he watched the bundle continued to move, but nothing was happening to the small hole in the end....the hours passed and still no butterfly.......he couldn’t understand what was taking so long......
He thought - what can I do? He had an idea, he said - “I know! I will get my mom’s scissors and help the butterfly get out, I’ll cut a little larger hole in the end of the cocoon and this will help the butterfly get out.” He got a small pair of scissors and quickly snipped a little piece off the end of the cocoon - proud that he had helped the butterfly out. He watched the expanded hole and soon out came ......a strange looking creature, not a beautiful butterfly - not with beautiful wings, but an odd shaped and awkward creature - “Mom lied” he thought and quickly ran to tell her what had happened.
His mother looked at the cocoon, and at the poor unfortunate creature that had emerged and she quietly explained what had happened.

You see the butterfly must break out the cocoon without help, because each push and thrust to break through causes the butterfly’s body to strengthen and shape up to allow it to fly when it emerges......

What the little boy didn’t realize was that sometimes you have to struggle first, before you can fly.....

Just like the butterfly .......we can all fly, but sometimes we have to struggle first........

The young boy learned a valuable lesson - sometimes a helping hand, isn’t what’s needed - it’s the opportunity to let nature take it’s course and work with the powers within ourselves.

- Donna Messer, mentor, motivator and lover of butterflies!