Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly...
When I was in kindergarten, the first book I ever read on my own was Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I loved it so much, I made a poster about it for the public library's poster contest, and received an honorable mention because they assumed my parents made it. I actually did make the poster and was just that creative, but I'm not salty. Anyways. For those of you who didn't read it as a kid, the book is really cute and goes through the lifecycle of a caterpillar, who is indeed very hungry. After eating his way through each page, the book ends (*spoiler alert* lol) with the caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly.
The caterpillar has no idea what's going on, its instinct is just to build itself into a cocoon, only to exit as a completely different being. I witnessed this transformation firsthand when I had a pet caterpillar in college that I purchased at the farmer's market. Honestly, the whole turning into a butterfly thing was kind of gross and traumatic, but it was pretty cool to watch the progress. It puts a whole new meaning on life-changing. Pretty symbolic, huh?
Change is inevitable. Growing up, I would fight it. I hated change. I can remember getting so upset starting every school year because it meant learning a new schedule. It was overwhelming. I was just a tiny caterpillar who had no idea what's going on.
Still as an adult, I tend to avoid change. But, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that change can be awesome. Letting go of what's good to make room for something great is hard. Like, really hard. I get comfortable in my little cocoon and think that I'm good where I'm at, and then God gives me a little nudge and says he's got something better in mind. He pushes me out of my comfort zone and helps me be the best version of myself... a butterfly, if you will.
Fear of the unknown is real, but faith that God is with me gets me through the big (and small) changes. And, with this upcoming change in my life, I couldn't be more thrilled. For the first time in a long time, I'm embracing the change and ready to flutter onto the next chapter.
