~ Written by: David . Kuzminski ~
Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia in 1977, I saw a water puddle
ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that
wasn't covered by water and mud. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! By a
Butterfly!
Yet, I did nothing, for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally
unexpected. I was startled as well as unhurt, despite having been struck four or five
times already. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of
attacking more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings in front of me. Had I
been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing, but I was unhurt, it was funny, and I was
laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He rammed me
in the chest with his head and body, striking me over and over again with all his might,
still to no avail. For a second time, I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his
attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged me again. I was rammed in
the chest over and over again. I wasn't sure what to do, other than to retreat a third
time. After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly.
This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker
moved back as well to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was
charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the
puddle where he landed. Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as
if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern
for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate's sake, even though
she was clearly dying and I was so large.
He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been
careless enough to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was
really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the
other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy.
His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just
for his mate's safety justified it. I couldn't do anything other than reward him by
walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be
with her, undisturbed. I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud
from my boots when I later reached my car.
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see
huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly's courage as an inspiration and to remind
myself that good things are worth fighting for.
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