We’ve all heard the saying “life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies” or perhaps, someone has told you this about achieving a goal, moving to a new place or whatever it may be. The meaning of the saying is, basically, it’s not always happy and simple.
But actually, life is all rainbows and butterflies. Change, grief, discomfort, growth — all these things create the rainbows and butterflies. It’s all about how we choose to look at our lives.
Of course it’s not realistic to always be happy and on a simple path all the time. We all endure different hardships, changes, losses and many more challenges I couldn’t possibly list throughout our lives. Life is a series of highs and lows.
The thing is though, when we really think about what it means to be rainbows and butterflies, we must acknowledge what comes before those two things. In order to see a rainbow, it must first rain or storm, once the storm subsides and the sun peeks through, then a rainbow is seen.
Similar to the rainbow, a butterfly is not born a butterfly. Their beauty is not sudden. A butterfly must start as a worm in the dirt (more politically correct, a caterpillar), which then spends weeks in a tight cocoon to grow and transform into this said beautiful butterfly.
Without storms and worms, there would be no rainbows or butterflies. And let’s be real, we all have experienced our fair share of storms and days where we feel like a worm in the dirt. We all go through tough experiences that feel heavy like a storm. We also go through periods of growth where it feels very constricting and we’re forced to transform. We may believe we’re not even progressing because all we can see are the walls we’ve built around us, our cocoon. Until one day, we break from the shell and we’ve grown into beautiful beings, or butterflies.
I’m probably taking this metaphor a little too far but I couldn’t help but ponder the thought as I sit here living my so-called dream in California. It’s something I’ve wanted for so long and I feel extremely grateful that I am finally doing the damn thing, but I keep thinking of this saying when people are asking me how it’s going and how I like it. I want to respond and say “well, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies like I thought it’d be.”
But, that’s the thing, I am very much like the caterpillar & butterfly right now. Just because this was my dream on paper and I romanticized what it would be like, doesn’t dismiss the fact that moving across the country and taking a leap all alone takes a lot of growth and discomfort. I thought I would arrive on the west coast and just be the damn butterfly living my best life, but there’s more layers than I expected.
I am, however, changing my perspective to believe life is in fact a ton of rainbows and butterflies because without the rain and without the cocoon, neither would exist. And similarly, without change and challenge, there would be no growth and beauty in our lives. We must face the struggles of our life in order to appreciate the beauty they bring. Each challenge transforms us a little differently and pushes us closer to our most authentic selves.
… life is in fact a ton of rainbows and butterflies because without the rain and without the cocoon, neither would exist.
Therefore, I believe life is rainbows and butterflies, and you should too.
xo, Lyss
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