Float Like a Butterfly...

Chance favors the prepared mind!
Louis Pasteur

by Skip Cohen

Years ago, I started stepping away from marketing and business topics on Sunday mornings, feeling it was my day to write about anything I wanted. Today, I'm staying true to that goal and sharing the pure joy in my role as a new "parent"!

Four years ago, we planted a butterfly garden in the back corner of our yard. We've had plenty of butterflies, but for the first time we spotted a monarch chrysalis a week ago. I got such a kick out of it that I made it my header for my Facebook page. 

A few days ago, entirely at random, Sheila went out to check on the new addition. All I heard was, "Get a camera!" So, while I missed the opportunity to get a time-lapse, I did manage to get a few still shots. The first one above is minutes after coming out of the chrysalis. You can see the wings still crumpled up from the confinement. Five minutes later, they were flattened out, and our new addition was flying all over the garden.

It's hard to find the words to describe what we were both feeling as we watched the butterfly emerge. As I wrote the other day, there's something wrong in nature when a butterfly only lives two to six weeks, but a cockroach can go for two years! Regardless, nothing can take away the absurd feeling Sheila and I had at becoming new parents.

My point this morning couldn't be more simple - I almost missed the moment because I was off doing other things. Thanks to Sheila, I was at least there with a camera before the activity was over. There's so much going on in our lives every day; when we don't stop to look around, we miss so many memorable moments.

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We are so busy watching out for what is ahead of us,
that we don't take time to enjoy where we are!
Calvin & Hobbs

​I know the pandemic has had an impact on all of us. Hunkered down, we've all worked to protect ourselves and our families - but even while isolated, there are still moments to capture, savor and appreciate. Take a minute right now and look around you and look for those "butterflies" about to emerge! Sorry, it's hard not to get sappy with this stuff.

Wishing everybody a perfect day ahead and time to anticipate and be part of memory-making moments. They're all around us if we just change our priorities and notice them.

​Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.