The Journey Ahead

Destiny could not have chosen a more beautiful day. I felt very grateful. Taking a long, deep breath, I sensed a gentle breeze blow over me. It was relieving to have a little bit of cool mixed in with this bright, sunny day. The wind made the nearby grass and flowers dance around as if they, too, were celebrating this occasion.

Today, I will begin my transformation process into something extraordinary. I can feel it. This is the next part of my life cycle, after all. Every single one of us must go through it. We go from having our feet planted on the ground to experiencing what it’ll be like to soar over the plants that had towered over us. Now, after seeing others undergo the transformation, it’s finally my turn.

It’s hard to believe that I used to be so small, so tiny compared to how I am now. But then, that was just the first step in my life’s journey. I had to continue to grow to get to this point. After having emerged from my egg, the next few weeks consisted of me eating as many leafy greens as I could possibly consume. As I grew, so did my appetite. My hunger knew no bounds as I ate not only leaves, but also any flower I came across along with its stem. As I kept traveling along, nothing was safe from my ravenous mandibles.

I’d inevitably grew bigger in size and length as I continued to press on. My skin had stretched out and shed many times to allow me to grow. The molting of my old skin felt amazing as my newer skin underneath fit much more comfortably. With each molt, there was an instinctual feeling that I was getting even closer to the next phase of my life. I could hardly wait.

Now, when I’m quite sure I’ve reached my fullest size, I find myself crawling onto a low-lying tree branch. Right here; this spot feels right. I begin to spin a silky base from which I will hang for the duration of the transformation. Letting out a contented sigh, I take one more look around me. This is it. Today everything changes, and I will no longer view the world around me in the same way.

Soon, I shall have my very own wings. I’ll no longer be confined to my current form, only able to crawl to my destination. Being able to take flight, I will be able to see the world a whole lot faster and with ease. I look forward to gliding along with the wind, coming to a stop on the softest flower petal. It’ll be so freeing, I know it.

I begin to molt for the last time. I can hardly contain my excitement for what’s to come. But, I must be patient. This next step will still take some time as well. Not that that mattered, really. The wait would be worth it. I continued helping the shedding process move along, ready to get the ball rolling on the final part of my journey.

It wasn’t long before I was mostly finished. In my newly formed cocoon, I hung securely from the tree branch. My head was the only part not fully contained inside. Savoring this moment a little longer, I looked up at the blue sky once more. Soon, I’ll be able to get a lot closer to those fluffy-looking clouds than I’ve ever been able to on these little legs.

There were more things waiting for me on the other end of my transformation. It was time to close this chapter of my life cycle. I ducked my head down inside the cocoon, allowing the change to take place. My time as a caterpillar was now reaching its end.

I pondered how I might turn out. I’d seen so many of my kind emerge from cocoons adorned with the most beautiful of colors. Some had mostly one solid color along with various patterns spread out evenly across their wings. Others appeared with wings of many colors as well as spotted or striped designs. They were all so wonderful to behold. Would I appear spotted? Would I have stripes? Though I had no answers to these questions, I could only hope that I would turn out just as magnificent as they all had.

My body continued to change and morph as I waited. It was the strangest thing, feeling my body breaking itself down in order to make me a whole new form. I knew I would change once inside, but I had not known what to expect. I had no fear, however, for the alterations I was experiencing. It felt like a breath of fresh air, allowing the old me to fall away so that the new me could take shape.

I wasn’t even sure how long I’d been in that cocoon. It may have been days, or weeks – I had lost track of time. I couldn’t even tell the precise moment when I knew my time to emerge had come. It just happened so quickly. I had begun to fidget and move around, splitting apart the cocoon wrapped around me as I did so.

I popped out of that protective shelter... and felt the sensation of my wings drying in the wind. I hesitated -only for a moment-, before I turned my head to take a look at my new self. My wings were a brilliant light blue color, just like the sky above. They sported jet-black edges with little white spots perfectly spaced out. It was an amazing sight – I was overjoyed to have turned out just as majestic as the other butterflies before me.

When my wings were dried from the sun’s rays, I was ready. Steadying myself on the edge of the tree branch, I opened up my wings. This was it; the moment I’d been waiting for. I launched myself off of my perch and gleefully glided through the air. The view was amazing from up here, and I now towered over the plants and flowers that were once giants in my eyes.

This was the most incredible feeling. I looked up at the sky and hoisted myself higher up into the air with just a few flaps of my wings. I made it. I was now freer than I had ever been before. The journey had seemed long, but the wait had been worth it. Today, I got to emerge as a whole new me.

Destiny could not have chosen a more beautiful day.