Consider the caterpillar. (Or, as Alice used to call them – and still sometimes does, if we’re lucky – the calapitter 🙂
Some of them are cute. Especially the fuzzy ones.
But not all, by any stretch. And some are downright creepy.
And yet…
Butterflies! Universally acclaimed!
10/10 would recommend insects!
Which brings me to the quote I’ve been harbouring, like a deep, hidden secret:
“We kill all the caterpillars, then complain there are no butterflies.”
It comes from a book I don’t know (The Dead of Night) by an author I don’t know (John Marsden). So I have nothing to say about that or the context in which it occurs.
But, wow, is it ever true.
It makes me think about how we:
> Chastise people for being weird and then mock them for being unoriginal.
> Create fantasy worlds for our children, and then tell them it’s time to grow up.
> Love when cool new shops open in our town, and then order so much from Amazon.
> Make authenticity a buzzword, and then pity those who show flaws in their online or business life.
Enough!
Caterpillars are weird, and they’ve got some growing to do. But if we let them, they’ll turn into butterflies one day.
And that’s a bet worth taking.
Chrysalistically,
James
P.S. Our youngest, Alice, turned 6 today. We had a great day celebrating her 🙂 Also, from now until I turn 44 in August, our family is 100 years old, cumulatively!
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