As I sat and opened my birthday cards last Wednesday from my family and friends I noticed a common theme occurring, the majority of the cards had butterflies on the front or in the inside of the card and it got me thinking….

The butterfly as a symbol represents time, expansion, transition, expression and resurrection.  An amazing and beautiful creature there are approximately 20,000 species world wide and 58 main types in the United Kingdom.  When I am out and about in the garden I often see butterflies fluttering in and out of the flowers, sometimes they rest before moving on to another corner or plant or maybe move onto another garden.  I cannot help myself watch in awe as I take in their prettiness, their elegance and grace, I cannot say I have ever considered in my adult life the process the butterfly has to go through to reach such a beautiful state.

Depending on the type a butterfly’s life cycle is approximately one month starting as an egg, then a caterpillar, then a chrysalis and then the adult butterfly, can you imagine if your whole life changed so dramatically in such a short space of time.  I imagine that we can all give an example of a moment in our lives when there has been a sudden transition and our worlds changed for ever, the birth of a child, a partnership break up that you did not see coming,  a sudden death of a family member or an opportunity that has come your way that you have snapped up and it has changed the course of your life.  There have been times when I have experienced sudden changes in my life causing a ripple effect throughout all areas of my life but have found that it has been the small changes within myself over a period of time that have had the biggest impact in forming me as the person I am today.

I love the story of the woolly bear caterpillar in the Artic, it freezes over during winter and takes fourteen years to grow large enough to turn into a moth.

 

 When I think about what I have done in the past fourteen years there has been a lot of change and personal growth but I cannot say that it has been easy, there I have been many times that I wished I could opted out of society all together.  The hard work and analysis has paid off, progress has been slow but I believe I am where I am meant to be, or at the very least near the top with a few minor adjustments.

 

If you find yourself in a place of unhappiness and dissatisfaction I think it pays to be kind to yourself and take the time to find out what makes you tick, what you truly enjoy, what do you love, what do you love about yourself because in life I truly believe that we are meant to be happy, and happiness starts from inside of you.  As humans our life cycle is long and it is only natural that we find ourselves in a place of transition.  In order to get the best out of our lives I think it is necessary to be honest about who we are, what we want, what we do not want for ourselves.  Being honest with ourselves can be quite a painful progress but in doing so and by forgiving ourselves (and others if necessary)  for the mistakes that have been made can we be free to move forwards, spread our wings and fly like a butterfly

 

 

Thank you for reading xxxx