~ “And with a broken wing she still sings. She keeps an eye over the sky. With a broken wing she carries her dreams. Man, you oughta see her fly.” ~ Martina McBride
Butterflies can fly broken and tattered. Their flight pattern changes constantly in order to avoid being caught by an enemy. The beautiful, winged creature in this photo had luck on its side, and managed to escape a predator by sacrificing a piece of its wing. The life span of an average butterfly is less than two weeks. This serves as a reminder to us that time is swift and precious, and this moment is all that we are promised.
It is said that how you live each day is how you live your life. So true.
Our life is now. It is the day so graciously gifted to us. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t without difficulty. And it doesn’t always resemble the beautifully filtered images that we glimpse on our phone or computer screen. Life is messy, and complicated, and magical, and beautiful, and joyful, and painful, and so damn hard at times.
But, our lives do not begin when we arrive somewhere, or complete something, or remedy a problem, or stop missing someone that we have lost.
Life doesn’t begin when we take that island vacation, or finish our degree work, or lose the ten pounds that we believe is standing in the way of the perfect existence.
It doesn’t begin when we heal from heartbreak, or forgive a betrayal, or finish our kitchen renovation.
It doesn’t begin when we meet our soul-mate, or have children, or hold heavenly grand-babies.
It doesn’t begin when we tackle our demons, or overcome our phobias, or learn to stop pummeling ourselves and finally accept and love the person that we are.
It doesn’t begin when world problems are solved, or new politicians are elected, or when ugliness and evil is banished from this earth.
Life is today. Life is this moment. Life is all around us.
We must stop waiting for life to begin, and live fully from the deepest part of our soul. We must be grateful for each breath that we draw into our lungs. And we must keep our heart open, even when there are a million reasons to keep it closed.
The truth is, things will never be perfect. Those we love may never regain lost health. Human beings will continue to disappoint. Each new day brings with it glorious possibilities, as well as the risk of losing what we cannot live without.
But, we must remind ourselves that we are meant to be here now, and we are capable of soaring high – even with broken pieces and tattered wings. And we must believe that the more we hold, and help, and love those that need us…the more we live in the moment, the more whole we feel, and the more alive we become.
Fear nothing. Feel everything…and fly.
Peace and Love,
Carole Rose
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