Unexpected Visitor Brings Breath of Fresh Air

The morning started out like any other in my tiny, cramped 1 bedroom apartment. Five of us live there at the moment - and for about another month - four adults, a very energetic seven-year-old, two dogs and a rambunctious kitten. We all woke up, and talked about how great it is to live in Corpus Christi over some sembelance of breakfast before everybody went their seperate ways to work or whatever this Friday was to bring us.

I stayed home with the few stragglers who had nothing planned. This is fairly normal and, since the recent Hurricane Alex, I keep getting phone calls telling me that I don't have to work at Jamba Juice. So, my days are fairly event-free for the most part.

The little girl in the house, Elizabeth, was bored. She's been in this state for about three days with no kids to play with and a very cramped house with no room to run around, so we decided to make her a scavenger hunt list.

ELIZABETH'S TREAURE HUNT

• 
  
  Find 5 different kinds of tree leaves


• 
  
  Find 5 different kinds of flowers


• 
  
  Find 1 bottle cap


• 
  
  Find 5 different kinds of bugs


• 
  
  Find 1 Treasure Box (you ALWAYS have to have a treasure box!)

And off she went, with her list of tresures in one hand and a treasure-hunting hat on her head. She popped back in the house every few minutes to show off her finds. About the third time she opens the door and shouts:

"Look what I found!!" In her hands was a dull, run-of-the-mill rock. Nothing special. It wasn't shiny or oddly shaped. It was just a rock. I went over to inspect it and share in her excitement. As she walked the rest of the way into the door, a massive butterfly floated over her head and into the house. Instantly all attention turned to the butterfly.

Including its wings, it was the size of my hand or larger. It was dark brown and, though it moved consistantly, it seemed peaceful and tranquil. It landed on a box, then on the ceiling, then it alighted on the windowsill. I was mezmorized. One of us pulled out a phone and quietly went to take a picture of the butterfly. At the click of the phone's camera, the butterfly gently rose into the air and over our heads.

Right into the ceiling fan, which was whipping around full-throttle in an effort to keep the house cool. There was a massive THUD and the butterfly was kicked back over toward the window. The noise attracted the attention of my rather impetuous kitten who imediately engaged in battle with the biggest animal he's encountered as of yet. Out came the claws and the poor butterfly's already battered body started to take a few more hits as we rushed around trying to apprehend the kitten.

We finally caught him and locked him in the bedroom so we could deal with our winged visitor. He looked alright except several small holes that peppered one of his wings and he seemd as if his head had been knocked around a bit. We opened a window and he flopped outside and took off into the open air.

According to many legends, butterflies are the symbols of change and the journey of the soul as we learn to accept change. This butterfly was going about it's life. It was so calm and tranquil, then it got smacked in the face by a ceiling fan going 100 miles an hour. And, though it's tranquility disappeared, it was replaced with single-minded determination to do what it could to save its own life. The change in it's condition, the fact that it might die, did not seem to even phase this little trouper. It seemed to recognize that panicking or worrying would not do any good against the tides of nature. It did what it could to save itself and left the rest in the hands of its creator. It seems as though there is much to learn from that giant butterfly and the chaos it caused in my house this morning.