Dear Friends,
My 9-year-old daughter received a birthday present last month: 10 teeny-tiny LIVE caterpillars from a friend at school. For a non-bug family, I have to be honest that my husband and I were a little hesitant about these new pets, or science projects. Much to our relief, the caterpillars also came with very easy and clear (and clean) instructions on how to care for them until they became butterflies.
Just like the famous Eric Carle picture book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," we watched these caterpillars eat and grow exponentially each day.
Then a week later, they all climbed up to the "ceiling" of their home and hung like a J shape. Overnight, they created their chrysalis. How do they know to do that? Nature is just so incredible.
This past week, we excitedly watched for each butterfly to emerge from their chrysalis. We watched how their wings were folded and curled at first, but then they eventually straightened out. We watched the butterflies eat by extending their proboscis, a straw-like tongue, into the fruit we fed them each day. We watched them flutter around the net cage, often bothering one another like siblings in each other's space.
Then 2 days ago, it was time to let them go. To fly free. We unzipped the net, and in a very anti-climatic moment (with the video camera rolling), the butterflies didn't fly away. My girls talked to them and encouraged them, but it took at least 5 minutes before the first one finally flew off. Then a few more minutes, another one. Then another one. About 30 minutes later, 5 butterflies still remained, obviously more interested in eating the juicy mango versus flying into the open. We decided to leave the opened net on our deck and give the butterflies time to leave on their own. The last one just flew away this morning.
I can't help but relate to these butterflies. We were all caterpillars in a world that was familiar. We lived, we grew, we worked, we built, we transformed, as caterpillars. It was all we knew.
But when Covid-19 hit, our entire world changed and we all entered into our chrysalis stages. We literally created a barrier around us, representative of our homes, and entered "shelter-in-place." In fact, we're still very much in this stage.
Just like a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside the chrysalis, I believe we are all transforming too. We just might not fully see it yet. But something exciting is ahead of each one of us.
Maybe working from home was never an option at your workplace, and now it is and you can balance family life better. Maybe this time has helped you determine who are your true and dearest friends, and you've figured out how to keep in touch with them. Maybe you were too busy before because you said yes to everything, and now you know how to balance your commitments and activities. Maybe, like some of you already have, you've realized that your home can be somewhere else entirely. Maybe joining a Zoom workout class was something you never thought you'd do, but now it's become comfortable and fun. Maybe you never spoke up against racism and injustice and now you are a passionate fighter for equality. Maybe you always stayed out of politics, but now you feel obligated to speak up against right and wrong, just like the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine did in this unprecedented article.
Maybe you never voted, and today you will.
When Covid-19 is finally behind us, our lives should look and feel different. We should not rush back to what things used to be like. My hope is we take these experiences right now, find all the silver linings and lessons learned, and we think forward and strive for better, happier, fuller, free-er lives.
Thank you for embracing change with me, from teaching on Zoom, to dancing on my deck, to now exploring my new website: www.thepowerwithgrace.com. In addition to Zoom livestreams and in-person classes, now previously-live classes are available for 48 hours on-demand and we have recordings for TRX, Power Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Yin Yoga, and our newest fusion class - YogaBurn! I'm happy to take requests too!
Also, this Friday, October 16, will be a POP UP 75 minute Power Yoga class at 9:30am. Catch it on Zoom livestream or sign up to come in person in San Rafael!
And finally, our 2nd Annual Stop Drop And Dance-A-Thon is less than TWO WEEKS away on October 24th! Our 41 songs are finalized! Sign up to come IN-PERSON from 3-7pm at the Elks Lodge in San Rafael, or join us at home through VIMEO LIVE!!! Tickets for both are here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/122659071585
Finding gratitude in transformation,
Grace
