A Fluttery Breakfast

The other day, as I was filling the bird feeder, I noticed a monarch butterfly was flitting about the front yard.  I was surprised as I have never seen one in my neighborhood before.

Years ago I traveled all the way to Mexico to observe the monarchs as they gathered for the winter in the mountains to stay warm.  The story is that they start their migration from Canada, travel all the way through the U.S. over mountains, rivers, deserts and busy cities to get to Mexico and rest.  In the Spring they start their journey back, only it takes generations of butterflies to get to the place they started before the last generation turns around and flies south again.  They stop on the way to fortify themselves on their favorite snacks, milkweed, try not to get eaten by hungry birds or run into by speeding cars, do their best not to tire out over open water and drown or get blown off course by hurricanes and tornadoes.  Nature does it's best to thin out the weak butterflies leaving the strongest to breed for the north bound trip.  I was fascinated and enthralled by the thousands and thousands of monarchs that gathered in Mexico, like music lovers to a jazz festival.  Their collective wing flickers made an impressive sound, and as they are protected by law, you had to whisper when in their presence and ended up in jail if you accidentally killed one.

The energy and will power that it took for this massive migration brought to mind that we as humans can accomplish anything we put our minds to.  All we need is the will to succeed, the patience to do things right, and the ability to keep in mind our final destination.  And if we can do all of that with a smile, then we can move mountains and be happy about it at the same time!

When I saw this lone butterfly in my yard I took it's presence as a reminder of my experience in Mexico. It was an omen that I had to keep on keeping on in my new business venture, Happy 2 be Earthbound. Then I ran into the house to grab my camera, risking getting to work late.  I managed to take a few decent pictures, but had to give up to get ready for work.  Then, as I was in the kitchen cleaning out my coffee cup, I saw through the window to the back yard more butterflies flitting about.  Now I was curious.  Where were they coming from?  Why, after all of these years of living in this house, have they come here?

Then I saw what the attraction was.  There were trees in my neighbor's yard that had been taken over by vines and they were flowering.  The butterflies loved it!  I watched as they bounced about from flower to flower, warming their wings in the morning sun, taking a brief break before they took flight again toward Mexico.  My neighbors never knew the treasure they had in their own back yard, but I did.  I have no idea how they found the vines in the middle of this busy city, but they did and I was glad for the treat.  It was a beautiful way to start a hard work day at a job I'll be happy to leave some day.

I looked for them the next morning, but the butterflies had already moved on with their journey.  They also had a schedule to keep.

And, encouraged by the monarchs that early October morning, I vowed to keep on keeping on.