I spent a day with a butterfly.
I found it early when I was walking the dog. I wasn’t quite sure what I was seeing at first. It was on its side, wings together, and it looked dead. Then it moved just a little.
I didn’t want to leave him on the sidewalk to be stepped on, so I gently picked it up and took it home, putting him with the plants in our bathroom.
Not that I know anything about insects, mind you, so I did a quick read about what to give it. He wasn’t impressed with my saucer of sugar water. I closed all the doors and went on about my day, checking in at intervals and willing the sun to come out. It didn’t.
Around 11, I took it out to some ground cover with little trumpet flowers. Three hours later, he was still in the same spot. This was not going well.
With a bit more reading, I made a temporary habitat so I could put him under a light to warm up: A rectangular tub about 6 inches deep, a flat rock, some grass and a bit of soil. Key information: a paper towel to soak up the sugar water to make it easy to consume.
I coaxed the butterfly from the ground cover onto my finger and moved him onto the paper towel. He extended his proboscis into it. Great! He’s feeding. I was nearly done taping down some nylon screen so he’d be safe inside when he flapped his wings then flew around the tub.
Ah, not cold. Hungry – and now a bit sugar high. He drank a bit more as I got all the tape off so I could remove the screen. I offered him my finger, and he hopped on. As I lifted him out of the tub, I expected him to be off immediately, but he didn’t. He looked so much more alive now. Does color come back into the wings? I’m not sure, but he looked better. We stood there looking at each other a bit longer, then he flew up to the top of my live oak tree.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time with that butterfly but watching it fly away — pure joy. It felt like a moment of life again. Ever need that? I do — and truly did that day.
What did I learn? My heart loves that – finding a way to help something or someone. I keep looking until I find the information that works.
Secondly, there’s nothing like a real moment to fill your heart. Our hearts NEED care, need filling and restoring at regular intervals. We try to manufacture it with food or drink. We’ll settle for a snack cake or a bread roll to soothe ourselves, but it just doesn’t last. Taking the time, even when you don’t think you have any to spare, to do something that brings you true joy will soothe and fill that space more than food ever could.
Our hearts need care just as much as our bodies do, and we neglect both – and suffer for it. If you want or need some help finding your way again, send me a message. Let’s go for LIFE.
