Reflections for 5/8/11

"Nicolet watched a butterfly open and close its wings on a cannon ball."(F.Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.118)

In everyday life we get to see things that at first glance do not seem like much. Yet the more we think about them, the stranger the contrast, the more it leads to a deeper thought.

The above quote at first felt like a throw away sentence to me.  Alright I said, I'm sure I've seen butterflies sitting on statues, benches or something else.  But on a deeper level what a contrast.  A butterfly seemingly very delicate, often beautiful, just flitting around, not going in a particularly straight line.  I am sure they have a specific purpose in the circle of life other than to delight my eyes.  And there it is contrasted with a cannon ball. Hard, non-feeling, quite destructive when used. More than likely sitting dormant as a statue in the quote. 

A butterfly brings images of spring and life. The cannon ball, of death and some faded glory.

And I suppose that the reality of all of our lives can be encapsulated in that contrasting image.  A butterfly, free to fly, a cannonball destined for a hardened purpose.  I know which side of me I like better.

Blessings,
Ed