Butterflies

 

A variety of colorful butterflies decorate the walls in my home office. Butterflies have always fascinated me. They have a short life full of change as they morph from crawling caterpillars to gloriously colorful and graceful flyers. They remind me to accept whatever change comes into my life. Like butterflies, none of us is the same today as we were in the past. On our journey we constantly morph into renewed beings transformed by life experiences, and the older we get the more at ease we are with our changing roles in the world and, like butterflies, we fly with ease. With the right attitude.

            Of course, aging is not always easy, but along the way we learn to adapt to new realities, to renew ourselves. As Betty White puts it: I’m 92, so what? I’m still hot!

            In December, like most people, I attended a variety of social events. I was amazed to see the number of people who were focusing on the bad things they saw and experienced over the past months instead of looking at all the good things in their lives and around them. That’s when I made my resolution to avoid negative and self-centered people in the New Year. Such people weigh you down and make soaring more difficult. A waste of energy all around.

            Research into the body/mind connection is ever increasing. We now know that the way we think influences the body. While it does not necessarily mean that positive thoughts will cure whatever ails us, it is nevertheless more and more clear that they do affect how we relate to the world. Some years ago, I visited a favorite uncle in hospital after he suffered a heart attack. Instead of bemoaning the fact that his life was forever changed, he looked out the window and said that he was lucky he could look out at the birds in the trees outside. His smile was always easy and he lived into old age. He made a conscious decision to soar even if his wings were not perfect.

            Isn’t it a good thought? To continue to soar despite problems. That is certainly my aim as a new year starts.  While we may be tempted at times to think that we are the only ones with issues, health or otherwise, we know that everyone faces unwelcomed realities in their lives. The reason we may think others don’t have problems is because they, like my uncle, have chosen to soar instead of crying over a less-than-perfect world.

            May 2015 bring all of you love to share and health to spare.