As I prepare to spread my wings into something new, I feel scared and, at times, frustrated with the pace of change and my impatience. And just as it often happens, my Grandma Betty from above brings forth her wisdom, this time through the memory of the Monarch Incubator.
My grandma used to grow Monarch butterflies every summer. She would place an old glass cookie jar in a cool, dry, protective space behind grandpa's chair. This Monarch incubator sat right next to the snapping turtle she kept from her class for the summer. She would gather milkweed, placing it deep in the glass terrarium, provide a water source, and arrange a jungle gym of sticks for the caterpillar to hang onto as they transformed into cocoons. The top was covered with cheesecloth, and underneath, there was a tent made from her sister's old patchwork blankets. We had to be quiet and refrain from tapping the jar to avoid disturbing their ecosystem. We would observe the caterpillar's progress, wondering if it was eating, if there were holes in the leaves, and where it was hiding.
We watched in amazement as the chrysalis slowly transformed, changing from green to black with a rim of black around the top that resembled air holes. And then, magically, when we turned our backs, the chrysalis would start to crack, there would be wiggling, and a wet, black wing would emerge. The butterfly would slowly flap its wings as it awakened in its new form, with vibrant and brilliant colors ranging from orange like creamsicles to yellow like bananas and white like Gilly's custard. The day would come when we would release her onto my grandma's snapdragons. The butterfly would steady itself and then take off in a gust of wind to explore the world. And while it seemed the transformation happened overnight, the butterfly emerged in its own time. Change may not be immediately visible, but we are always undergoing transformation.
So, the next time you find yourself feeling impatient or frustrated with your progress, take a deep breath and remember the monarch butterfly. Life has its own process, and things don't happen overnight. What you can control is creating a supportive environment for yourself, having a dark place to recharge, a safe place to test your wings, and surrounding yourself with people (or a coach) who encourage you to steady yourself to fly. Today, be kind to yourself. It takes 30 days for a caterpillar to transform, and while we may want to get to the good stuff and see that butterfly, she needed all those steps to be able to fly HIGH!
You've got this!
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