Free as a butterfly

Comedian George Carlin once said, "The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity."

The caterpillar really does get a bad rap in life. He (or she) is that creepy little crawly thing with more than 4000 muscles (man has 629) that we see wiggling through our gardens and eating holes in our plants. As it matures, it builds a cocoon around itself and soon emerges as a beautiful butterfly. It sleeps late and gets up when the sun warms its wings. Its destructive nature of the past is gone, and it now sips nectar from the beautiful plants it sought to destroy before.

As I reflect on the words of George Carlin, I can't help but think of how many varieties of "butterflies" cross our paths every day. No one knows how much work and energy it took to make that butterfly. No one knows how many close calls, the crises and struggles that the caterpillar had during its life.

In the end, all we see is the butterfly. Some draw our attention more than others, but each is beautiful in its own way as it flitters from place to place, stopping occasionally for a little sweet nectar.