A Tale of Two Butterflies

It's a hot summer day. The temperature is close to 100 degrees without any promise of rain. There's no small gathering of clouds that could intermittently shield out the sun's burning rays either. The good thing is that it's a dry heat and people like me, who have lived under heat and humidity's double whammy, still find weather like this bearable. Dogs, on the other hand, shouldn't be out in it for too long, so "Scruffy" and I took an abbreviated version of his afternoon walk.

The first butterfly flew out from the leaves of a tree at the end of our street; the place where Mr. Scruff always decides he wants to take me. It was a bright yellow-orange with black spots on its wings. The manner in which it was riding so carefree on the afternoon's dry hot breeze was almost too "Zippedeedodah." Nonetheless, its colors were a striking contrast against the green and I smiled at its beauty as it fluttered its way to the buildings on the other side of the road. I like butterflies. One of the things they represent is reinvention.

We continued our "walk," Mr. Scruff and I, to the other end of the street where our townhome sits. I was anxious to get back inside to the air conditioning and slip into something more cool and comfortable. There's a big tree in our front yard. Don't ask me to tell you what kind it is, because I'm no botanist, but it's inviting to look at. As we approached it, another butterfly flew out from its shade. The same color: bright yellow-orange with black spots, with the same air of carefree flight from one side of the road to the other. I smiled again as I watched it come out of nowhere and then dance its way on to its next destination.

I thought, what is the chance of that? Two identical butterflies in the same scene? Hmmm.

But then I remembered that we all have a mirror out there somewhere. Who's to say that butterflies don't also?

Sometimes those mirrors or "soul guides" are with us in this lifetime, even if it's at a distance. Sometimes we're lucky to cross paths with them more than once. Connected by synchronicity, they appear when we are ready to see the reflection we need to learn from. They can be quite adept at throwing your words and thoughts back in your face, as if to remind you of the answer that you're still searching for.

Reflections reveal the truth. They reveal what's inside, but what we're sometimes blind to or what we've tricked ourselves into pretending isn't there. We can get so caught up in the masquerade that we eventually get lost in it. But, a mirror doesn't lie and it has a startling way of jolting our head out of the clouds. It shows exactly who you are beneath the game of silent pretend.

Reflections are meant to be helpful. They push us towards our destinies, help us grow, support us, show us who we're supposed to be and inspire us. They also comfort us when life gets to be too much or when we need a reminder of the dreams we've kept hidden. There's no walls, never a "we're closed" sign hanging on the door. They're always there and they always will be.

Yeah, I've got one. A reflection. An earthly "soul guide," so to speak. The pieces didn't come together until recently, but that doesn't matter. Time only reveals what it wants to when it's ready or when it's time for the light to start reflecting from both sides of the mirror.

Still, it's no mistake that I saw those two butterflies today. Identical, yet separate journeys, playing out in the same scene. Two reinventions revealing the same inner truth. An inner truth that is now set free.