Courage

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 directionto go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered bywater and mud. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked!
Yet, I did nothing, for the attack was so unpredictable andfrom a source so totally unexpected. I was startled as well as unhurt,despite having been struck four or five times already. I backed upa foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of attackingmore, 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 abutterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attackerrushed 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 hisattack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged meagain. I was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn't surewhat to do, other than to retreat a third time. After all, it's justnot everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though,I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attackermoved back as well to land on the ground. That's when I discoveredwhy my attacker was charging me only moments earlier.
He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddlewhere he landed. Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed hiswings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage ofthat butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it uponhimself to attack me for his mate's sake, even though she was clearlydying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra fewprecious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to stepon her.
Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was reallyonly one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddleto the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide andextremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands oftimes larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safetyjustified it. I couldn't do anything other than reward him bywalking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earnedthose moments to be with her, undisturbed. I left them in peace for thoselast few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I laterreached my car.
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of thatbutterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use thatbutterfly's courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that goodthings are worth fighting for.