I am a Butterfly

Butterflies have fascinated me for a while now.  Any creature that can completely reinvent itself and change into something entirely different is truly amazing.  That feat is nothing short of remarkable.

It begins its life as a caterpillar, a small wormlike creature. This creature seems rather insignificant.  It is considered a nuisance to many with its seemingly insatiable appetite for vegetation and its appearance pales in comparison to that of the butterfly that it is preparing to become.  Caterpillars have a very important job. They eat to grow and fuel their bodies for the transformation that will soon ensue.

As I think about butterflies and admire my daughter’s room that I have decorated like a butterfly utopia with butterflies and flowers adorning her walls and hanging from the ceiling I realize that people have some of the same life changing abilities. Of course, we cannot undergo a physical metamorphosis. Our bodies with two legs, two arms, one head and one heart will always remain so, but we have the ability to experience a metamorphosis of the soul.

Caterpillars enter a chrysalis and exit a beautiful butterfly ready to take flight and assume their roles in the circle of life as flower pollinators.  It is a wondrous and seamless transition.  The caterpillar does its role by feeding its body and preparing fuel for the natural, inevitable change that will take place for it.

People can experience a very similar transformation.  Our jobs are to feed ourselves- mind, body and soul. We feed our souls by learning and absorbing everything that we can about ourselves and the world we live in.  We feed our bodies by doing exactly what I tell my children to do: eat good food, get good sleep and practice good exercise.  We feed our souls by being quiet, being aware of our thoughts, meditating and having spiritual beliefs.

We can have a metamorphosis many times over.  We need no cocoon.  We need only to wrap ourselves in the fibers of the love and warmth that we receive from our families, envelope ourselves in the joy that we experience from an uplifting activity, blanket our spirits with a feeling of freedom by dancing when there is no music or by simply being still and learning to appreciate the inspiration in silence.

Life can be an enjoyable journey.  No one has to stay a caterpillar indefinitely. We are all butterflies with innate abilities to spread our wings and soar.  All that is needed is our desire and know how to do so.

Mom, sing with me.  It’s okay if you don’t know the words.  Just sing!

~My Baby Girl 2010

Sunshine Blog Award

Hello!

I am very pleased to accept the Sunshine Blog Award that was given to me a few weeks ago by Laurie at Twinkie Mommie.  I am brand new to blogging (two months ago was the first time that I had ever written or read a blog) so I am truly touched by this award.

The Sunshine Award  is passed on from blogger to blogger to those who are creative, positive and inspiring.

The rules for accepting this award are:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post,

Pass the award on to twelve bloggers,

Link the nominees within your post,

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog,

Spread the sunshine and link to the person from whom you have received this award.

It took me a while, but I have selected twelve blogs that I find truly uplifting.  Here is my list in no particular order:


Mother to Son
Not Quite Susie Homemaker
A Work in Progress
My Whimsical Way
1smartmom.com
Vivianne's Vista
Twice Charmed's Blog
Visionary Mom
The Mom-Tage.com
A Guide to Loving the Black Girl in the Mirror
Dear Sister
Nirvana Mamma

Thanks again Laurie for the award!

The Power of Thoughts

I am learning a lot these days.  Life lessons keep revealing themselves to me in so many different forms.  Simple observations while watching my children play, new books that I seem to just stumble across, conversations with old friends even people watching in the airport gives me new insight.  As I get older my hope is that I get wiser and I am beginning to look at my world through different eyes.

Most recently, my attention has been directed to how my thoughts, behaviors and relationships with others affect the condition of my life.  For thirty three years I have looked externally for answers.  I really thought that my environment dictated my outcomes.  That type of thinking puts the onus on others and not on myself for how my life unfolds.

I have cut people out of my life and chosen not to befriend others.  I have avoided situations that I knew would cause me discomfort and stayed within the confines of  my self created safe existence.  I have historically made those decisions based on my feelings of certain people and situations being toxic.  Of course, I was always right.  I always received what I focused on. 

What I failed to realize was that it was me, not others who put the toxins in my life.  We have all heard about the laws of attraction.  In the past I have read books on the subject and mused over it for a little while and then eventually pushed it out of my consciousness.  For some reason it keeps resurfacing and now I am willing to play closer attention.

I have come to realize that what I have focused my energy on over the years is what I continually get back.  My thoughts about others and myself always become my reality.  I get it now. 

Of course I am not saying that if I keep a positive frame of mind that everything and everyone in life will just become perfect.  What I understand now is that shifting my thoughts to a higher, lighter more positive plain will draw to me more of what I want.  I am putting what I have learned to use now and choosing to focus more energy and effort on that which uplifts me.

You perceptions really are your reality.

For some, this may sound kooky, but what harm is there in making an effort to change your thoughts?  It takes a lot of focus and dedication, but the payouts can me tremendous.

A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.

~ Mohandas Ghandi