[nukkad] Attack of the Butterfly

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When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth. 
-George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel laureate (1856-1950)
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Attack of the Butterfly  


"A True Story of Love and Courage" 


Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia in
1977, I saw a water puddle ahead on the path. I angled
my direction to go around it on the part of the path
that wasn't covered by water and mud. As I reached the
puddle, I was suddenly attacked!  

Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable
and from a source so totally unexpected. I was
startled as well as unhurt, despite having been struck
four or five times already. I backed up a foot and my
attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of attacking
more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly
wings in front of me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have
found it amusing, but I was unhurt, it was funny, and
I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a
butterfly!  

Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My
attacker rushed me again. He rammed me in the chest
with his head and body, striking me over and over
again with all his might, still to no avail. For a
second time, I retreated a step while my attacker
relented in his attack. 

Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged
me again. I was rammed in the chest over and over
again. I wasn't sure what to do, other than to retreat
a third time. After all, it's just not everyday that
one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though, I
stepped back several paces to look the situation over.
My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground.
That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging
me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was
dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his
wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love
and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his
mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for
his mate's sake, even though she was clearly dying and
I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra
few precious moments of life, should I have been
careless enough to step on her.  

Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was
really only one option left for me. I carefully made
my way around the puddle to the other side of the
path, though it was only inches wide and extremely
muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of
times larger and heavier than himself just for his
mate's safety justified it. I couldn't do anything
other than reward him by walking on the more difficult
side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments
to be with her, undisturbed. I left them in peace for
those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots
when I later reached my car. Since then, I've always
tried to remember the courage of that butterfly
whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that
butterfly's courage as an inspiration and to remind
myself that good things are worth fighting for.  

Copyright 1997 Dave Kuzminski 




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