I was pretty excited when I thought I spied a monarch butterfly in the raspberry patch the other day. It would have been the first sighting of a monarch this summer, but I was wrong, and on closer inspection saw that it was a Viceroy butterfly. This beautiful butterfly looks almost identical to a monarch, but has a black band across the lower wings, unlike a monarch. The Viceroy feeds on willow and poplar trees while the monarch caterpillars only feed on milkweed. Like the monarch, the viceroy is unpalatable to birds, the main predators of the butterflies, though the one I saw showed evidence of a battle, with part of its hind wing gone. I was at first disappointed that the butterfly was not a “special” monarch, but then realized just how special this pretty little being really was and how much it had to struggle to escape a predator or a car or a storm in order to survive and keep its species thriving.
It also made me think just how precarious our lives are on this blue marble of a planet. I learned this week of an acquaintance and “market friend” the same age as I who passed away very suddenly. The old saying that life is short is an understatement. We just never know when our time will be up, and it is imperative to fight to enjoy another day.
Those that struggle with mental illness and suffering brutal elements in this life are at the top of my list of concerns this morning. I cannot imagine, and hope I never have to live in a scenario like others around the globe and even in our neighborhood are enduring. The fires, flooding, wars and famines that touch me only when I watch the news affect me deeply. I feel so blessed that I have only had a few roadblocks and stumbling stones that have tripped me up in my life. Things may look pretty bleak and scary at times as I face financial or health challenges, but I have it so easy compared to others that I have nothing to complain about or worry over. I question my faith in a higher power at times, and I frequently question those in “authority” in our government, but then I look around at the natural world around me with fresh wonder, and know that there must be someone or something “out there” that is guiding this amazing planet.
We humans are pretty good at thinking we are the smartest beings around, but whatever being or force created what we see around us and the physical and nearly-magical systems of life is worthy of wonder and awe. We are a pretty insignificant little atom in the larger universe, and I think it is good for us to take a philosophical look at ourselves every once in a while. We need to take a look at those around us who have lost a wing or lost their lives and put our own lives to higher purpose in making those around us more comfortable, more visible and note their importance, as well as our own in the fabric of life. We need to try to make a difference and make things better.
I admire everyone out there who is struggling, fighting and scrabbling to stay alive. Those with economic woes, those with physical challenges, those without employment, those without support from their communities and families … I urge you all to keep fighting. You may have tough battles in the future, and you may lose part of your wings in the fray, but being able to enjoy another day is a goal we should all strive to achieve. We need to remember that we are all on this planet together, and not one of us is more important or more special than the next. We need to stop thinking than we monarchs are better or more special than we Viceroys, and see each other and our struggles for what they are … important as a little piece of the larger picture.
