ONCE OR MORE TIMES IN THE WHOLE OF TIME AND SPACE……..
There was a caterpillar. This caterpillar was very, very, extremely claustrophobic.
It was so claustrophobic, in fact that it simply refused to spin a cocoon for itself.
It watched sadly as all of its friends spun their cocoons and emerged, some days later, as full-fledged and beautiful butterflies. Still, it did not allow this to change its mind. There was no way it was going to be enclosed in such a small and tiny and dark and cramped space for any measure of time. It was simply unthinkable.
Instead, it spent a much time as it could doing the things that caterpillars did. It crawled in its own way, up and through and among the branches and twigs to explore what it could of its world. It ate the leaves that it found to be tasty and stopped from time to time to enjoy the soft breezes of the wind that were warmed from the light of the summer sun. There were times when the scared, little caterpillar felt at ease and peace in the warm sunlight and the soft breezes that came with it.
“Surely this is the best of life and this is what life is all about!” It said to itself as it assured itself that all and everything was all right and that it didn’t matter that it never became a butterfly, after all. What was so wrong about being a caterpillar?
The other caterpillars that had become butterflies were worried about their friend that they felt had been left behind. Not that any of them blamed themselves at all. They all knew of the fear of feeling trapped and imprisoned that their friend had always had. Still, they all did their best to visit with it and to speak of all the wonderful things that they could do and how much more of things they could experience in hopes of convincing it to reconsider its fear and, perhaps, overcome it.
The fearful caterpillar heard all of their stories with wistful longing and great desire to be as they were, but nothing they said to it could help it overcome its fear. Then one day, the caterpillar that it loved most in the entire world came to it. It was a splendid and beautiful thing to behold! The bright colors of light and life were all to be found in its wings and its happiness knew no bounds as it begged its fearful and beloved friend to come and join them them…and especially it, in this new and better way of life.
The fearful caterpillar sighed again and again in its fear and asked its beloved friend:
“I am afraid to be enclosed in such a small and lonely space, in darkness and knowing nothing until the time comes for me to be as you are and to be with you again and to go where you go and do what you do. What sense does it make for me to do such a thing if I am going to afraid all the time? When I come out of it will I really and truly be just like you or will I be some monster born of fear that is so traumatized that it will just lash out at all and everything until it dies or has to die just so that the rest of you can live in peace? I could not stand to be such a thing and would rather die the way that I am, thank you very much.
Its beloved friend just laughed and fluttered its wings in the bright sunlight and laughed.
“Silly! It’s not like that at all! You won’t be in an enclosed and dark place. You will be in all and everything and you will be able to do something that you were never able to do before.”
“And what is that?”
“You will be able to dream of all and everything that you are as a butterfly, everything that you will be able to do and the love that you will experience as you and I create our children to do and be as we are…or you will be….so we can be….if you will…for I am already willing…..and waiting…….”
At this, the caterpillar immediately found a place to spin and weave and create its cocoon……
And….well…..lol….the rest is history……