On butterflies, manure and being real
This summer we were on a day hike in the Smoky Mountains. We came across a beautiful group of yellow tiger swallowtail butterflies. As we got closer, we could see why they were so tightly gathered. They were all feeding off of the salts and minerals in a big pile of horse manure. These beautiful creatures were getting sustenance from something we’d rather not see, and certainly not step in. The butterflies were benefiting from the poop. It was important. It wasn’t just gross or wasteful or ugly. It had a purpose. It’s interesting. We know not to judge a book by its cover, we have been taught not to assume, we’ve been encouraged to be ourselves, follow our passions, stay true to our dreams, that we’re allowed to get messy in the process. I don’t think there’s one of us who hasn’t heard this advice.
And this is also what I see. I see images everywhere that have been “cleaned up” to make people look more conventionally beautiful. I see people afraid to let others know what they really like or care about, afraid to share their creations, afraid to share their real selves. Afraid to share the messiness.
And who might blame them? We live in a snarky world, full of people (many anonymous) ready to make a snippy comment or cutting remark. Ready to judge, judge, judge and find us coming up short.
Here’s the thing – we can’t make that potential for judgment go away. We can simply stay in our business, living our lives. And when we’re honest about ourselves and take the unnecessary judgment off ourselves (and others), we’re leading the way for others to do the same. Then we can enjoy simply being alive.
Here’s a recent photo I took and shared:
Those beautiful night-blooming flowers by the outdoor tub? They are also popular with the giant roaches (lovingly called palmetto bugs) who also live outside. The tub has duct tape over the overflow hole and a rust-stained bottom.
All of that doesn’t discount the beauty of the flowers, just like the horse manure doesn’t discount the beauty of the butterflies.
Oh, also. There’s dust on the twinkly Christmas lights in our bathroom. There are crumbs in our car. Sometimes I don’t do the dishes. Sometimes we eat popcorn for dinner.
That doesn’t discount the pretty meals I make with farmers’ market tomatoes or the laughter in the kitchen or the love in our house.
I think we all need to give ourselves a little bit of a break. And be ourselves.
You know these picture on this website? The photos are waay natural. They are me. When you meet me, that’s what I look like. I’m wearing hardly any makeup, which is normal for me (unless it’s WIGS and WIGS night or Mardi Gras!) I have wrinkles around my eyes. My hair is not really “done” – it never is! My teeth are not blindingly white, or particularly straight.
That doesn’t discount the light in my eyes, or the love I have of working with people to help them find their right life.
Sometimes I feel like more butterfly, less manure, and sometimes the other way around, but either way, it’s the being real that makes me who I truly am.
What can you put in these blanks? I ______________________, but that doesn’t discount _________________________ Email me your answers or put them in the comments!
Why go out in the rain?
You plan a walk or a hike and then it rains. So you stay inside and postpone the walk until the weather's better.
I've done it plenty - I've stayed inside because of rain. I like dry weather and blue skies and long views. But I've also learned to like fog and mist and rain and even a downpour here and there. I've learned to love raindrops dripping from flowers and leaves all shiny and wet.
While I've never been a fan of hiking in the mud- in fact walking in mud for fourteen miles on my first day on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont made me cry - I realize that a walk in the rain can often be lovely. It shifts the perspective closer- to the moss on the trail side, or a bark-darkened tree, or a puddle adorned with fallen leaves. Rain puts up a curtain around the long views so you notice what's right in front of you. Sometimes its a box turtle in the trail. Or a squirrel fixing up a nest for the evening.
Last night I hosted a wordless walk - it was supposed to be to enjoy the sunset and moonrise, but clouds and rain all day made visibility of the sunset unlikely. So people who'd planned to attend the walk mostly stayed away - rain tends to do that.
I learned from six months hiking the Appalachian Trail that if I only hiked when it wasn't raining, I would never finish the journey. It rains a lot in the eastern woodlands. Yesterday I had nowhere I needed to be and I could have easily stayed home and canceled the walk, knowing that people understand that you don't go out walking in the rain.
But I'd been inside too much this week. So I went. And I'm so glad I did. The quality of light as day shifted to night was magical.
The rain was only a sprinkle here and there. I really did watch a squirrel prepare its nighttime cozy spot.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN1hKoLdWBM&feature=youtu.be]
And the moon peeked out from the clouds for a moment!
The breeze was the absolute perfect temperature, and I got what I'd come out for - stillness for my soul.
Here's one more wordless video for you - raindrops on the bayou. Watch the ripples. So calming.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjnbPhnKIMU&feature=plcp]
So what are your thoughts? Will you go walking in the rain? What do you love about rain?
Just for fun - what kind of butterfly?
I'm testing something with my assorted technology, and to test it I need to publish a blog post, and I can't wait until tomorrow, so here's a question: Do you know what kind of butterfly this is?
If you answered monarch, you're close, but this is actually a viceroy. It has an extra stripe on its lower wings. I rarely see viceroys, and when I saw this butterfly it seemed a bit different from the monarchs that flit all over our yard, and my hunch was right! What a cool surprise!