Day 857

I was busy trimming bushes in our back yard when the Goldens’ attention was directed at a bed of flowers. I noticed a monarch butterfly flitting amongst the flowers and my attention was captured immediately! What a gorgeous creation!

Realizing they were not able to access the butterfly, their attention moved on to more immediate delights. Unlike my pups, I was I smitten and stood transfixed!

Watching this creature flit from flower to flower was almost like being at the ballet! Could anything compete with the graceful movements of this winged beauty? After a few minutes , the monarch flew away to parts unknown, but it left me with a glorious memory.

Doing a bit of research, Minnesota’s monarchs fly to Mexico each year! That is an amazing flight! I can only imagine the reunion, in the warmth of the Mexican sun, when millions of these little guys finally arrive!

Looking inward, I wondered what my innate abilities might be. Certainly, they don’t lie in the realm of travel. Being “directionally challenged," I would not get very far without assistance. What then are natural instincts possessed by humans? Fight or flight, eat when hunger strikes, prepare for winter and other obvious ones are often taken care of by modern technology and inventions that make life easier.

Delving deeper, we do seem to have innate empathy, natural protectiveness for the vulnerable and other emotional, inborn gifts. It makes me happy to see so many kind gestures in the world without any expectation of reward. That intrinsic pleasure is a thing to follow… if it warms the heart, it must be a good thing!

As we see the last of the migrating birds and butterflies head south, it’s good to know they are not taking all the beauty with them. On the contrary, our human instincts can offer a beauty of their own. Kindness, generosity and caring hold a warmth that can stand up to any winter without the necessity for migrating!