Sunday – 12/19/2010

“How does one become a butterfly? They have to want to fly so much, that they are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

I am pleased to report that I finally turned in my discharge notice to the nursing facility. The goal is to be out of here and in my own place by mid-January. There are a lot of things that need to happen regarding equipment, caretaking, apartment renovations, etc. However, events have now been set in motion that will hopefully culminate over the next few weeks. The plan is to go into the apartment for a few months while I work to build a home designed to fit my needs. I visited the apartment complex where I lived prior to my injury this past Friday. This is certainly a possibility and looks very promising. I’ve a few more places I want to visit next week, and then hopefully sign a lease at the end of the week.

As I was leaving the apartment and wheeling down the sidewalk to the van, I got stuck in the snow. One of my wheels got buried and would not budge. Well, it did turn, but kept digging itself deeper into the soft, wet ground. The more I sipped and puffed, the more I buried the wheel. It was the equivalent of getting your car stuck in the driveway after a heavy snow. In the past, I would have thrown a car mat or some kitty litter under the wheels to help gain traction. However, I had none of that with me and had to rely on a guy named, Butch, to help push me out. Yes, that was his name.

I was fortunate to have several people visit me this week, who also brought with them small gifts — mostly flowers. I have enough poinsettias in my room that I could probably open a small florist shop. I’m not complaining though, the flowers freshen up the room and make it look more appealing than all my bottles of Propel sports water do.

One of my visitors was Fr. Canfield from St. Ignatius High School. He has become a frequent visitor since my injury, someone I did not know before my accident. He is a very kind and soft-spoken Jesuit priest who has a great sense of humor and is very in tune with the students at Ignatius. He keeps me up-to-date on all the goings-on at the school and we share stories of alumni that we know. During our latest visit we were discussing a Theology teacher I had while at Ignatius, Mr. Skerl, who introduced me to my favorite book, “The Little Prince.” This discussion led me to remember another book I read as part of Mr. Skerl’s class called, “Hope For the Flowers.” At the time I read this book I had no idea how much of a theme it would come to play in my life, even leaving a permanent mark on Kristy and I — literally, something that was “etched” into our relationship.

After Father left I found myself thinking more and more about the story and decided I would mention it in this post. I like to think of myself as a well-educated and well-traveled individual, and can’t help but laugh at the fact that I’m discussing a children’s book as if it were one of the world’s great works of fiction. Although it is a novel loved by children, it is an adult story. And while it is not a Christmas story, its message is certainly relative this time of year, described on the cover of the book as a “tale – partly about life, partly about revolution and lots about hope – for adults and others including caterpillars who can read.”  It is an inspiring allegory about the realization of one’s true destiny as told through the lives of caterpillars, Stripe and Yellow, who struggle to “climb to the top” before understanding they’re meant to fly.

It all starts when Stripe, the main character, first hatches from an egg. He begins his life by eating the leaf he was born on. He realizes that there must be “more” to life than just eating leaves. He senses there must be a way to get up into the sky. He searches for a way and finds himself at the base of a pillar made up of caterpillars. They are all struggling to get up into the sky as well. Here he meets Yellow who also wants to get up into the sky by climbing to the top of the pillar. But she feels bad about what must be done to achieve this goal. You have to literally step on and climb over all the other caterpillars who are also trying to reach the top of the pillar. The two of them eventually decide to stop climbing and go back down the pillar. They live together for awhile. But Stripe’s curiosity and unrest overcome him and he decides that he must get to the top of the pillar. Stripe says good-bye to Yellow. He focuses, adapts, and drives to reach the top, and eventually he succeeds at being on the top of the caterpillar pillar. This results in disillusionment, as he takes in a vast vista of other caterpillar pillars. Is this all there is at the top? He has not really gotten in to the sky. He just has a view of other caterpillars struggling to reach the top of their respective caterpillar pillars. Yellow, however, has followed her instincts, continues to eat and then spins a cocoon. She eventually emerges from the cocoon transformed into a butterfly and wafts into the sky effortlessly. She has found the real answer to there must be “more” to life than eating leaves, and who caterpillars really are. She is waiting for the disillusioned Stripe as he descends the pillar and eventually reaches the ground again. She shows Stripe her empty cocoon, and he eventually realizes what he needs to do. Stripe makes a cocoon of his own. Yellow waits for him. Stripe emerges transformed into a butterfly, and they fly off together.

It only takes about 30 minutes to read the entire book, but it takes a lifetime for many to heed its message. If you’re looking for a last minute gift idea it’s worth picking up, if not for yourself, for that someone in your life you think would benefit from its message.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support!

Scott