Grabbing a Second Chance at Life

I don’t have to tell you how much I love inspirational quotes.  I have a whole giant section devoted to them on Self Help Daily and I have (literally) notebooks filled with favorite quotes I’ve collected over the years.  From television, the supper table, books, etc.

My “favorite” quote change frequently because there are just too many to choose from… So when people ask me, “What’s your favorite quote?,” I always answer, “Well, today it’s….”

Then I tell them my favorite quote for that particular day.  Some days a quote stays my favorite for days, even weeks.

My current favorite quote has obvious staying power – it has been my favorite quote for over a month! Here’s the quote that I’m so in love with:

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” – Anonymous

Could I love this quote any more? No, I don’t think I could.  It’s just so beautiful and so inspirational.  And so true!  How often do we think we’ve reached the lowest point possible in life just to see a new dawn on the horizon?

Just this past week I witnessed, joyfully, this quote play out.

First of all, one of my dearest friends recently went through a terrible experience.  He found the courage to end a long-term, rocky, even emotionally-abusive relationship.  The sorrow and pain that accompanied not only the years he was abused but the final chapter, as well, left him feeling much like a caterpillar would.

Think about it for a minute.  Let’s imagine that a caterpillar is capable of thinking in the same way we are.  He’s at what he feels is surely the end of the line.  He looks back over his life and recalls the peaceful, even happy, moments.  Then he tries to console himself.  “It’s all over. All of life’s good times are behind me, there’s nothing left…”

Talk about being as low as you could go.

My friend e-mailed me a few days ago and his wonderful, hopeful mood was contagious.  It jumped off of my computer and whirled around me!  I couldn’t help smiling as I read how he had someone in his life now and how he was hopeful that the relationship would continue to grow. He weathered the storm and now life is once again a beautiful, magical, wonderful place.  Once again, he has reason to want to get up in the morning and see what wonders await him!

I also saw this sort of a re-birth in my own yard.  We have a trellis beneath the window of one of our bathrooms.  All summer we’ve had a gorgeous display of purple morning glories growing up the trellis.  You can watch out the window as butterflies and hummingbirds enjoy the purple blooms as much as we do.

Temperatures cooled off mightily recently and I noticed that the blooms had stopped opening.  Even the leaves looked droopy and “spent.”  I made a mental note to tear the straggly vines down as soon as I felt better.

Lo and behold, the weather warmed up a few days ago and, wouldn’t you know it, the trellis was filled with purple morning glories again. Even though it’s late in the season, there were even colorful butterflies enjoying the last hoorah.   I thought about the quote above and couldn’t help but smile at the irony.

Finally, we all watched – with tears running down our faces – as the Chilean miners were rescued.  How bright and beautiful everything must look to them!  They lived through the darkest moments and now are able to enjoy life even fuller.

That’s the funny thing about adversity, and perhaps why it’s sometimes referred to as bittersweet.  It allows you to see things in a whole new light – and everything is more beautiful than ever.

So, what’s my favorite inspirational quote?  Well, today it’s “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”

Just When The Caterpillar Mug