Jamie’s Gems – Butterfly Moments

Photo by Nicole Yannotti

For anyone who knows me, you know that I am in LOVE with butterflies.  I love the beauty of their radiant colors; the physical transformation they must endure to become what they are destined to be; the fact that they are such exotic, ever-changing creatures; and most of all, I love the deep symbolic nature of their being.  In my opinion, the butterfly is the ultimate symbol of hope and faith.  That fuzzy little caterpillar, trusting and believing so much that there is more to this life, that there is something better out there, that there is a bigger purpose for his existence than merely “crawling.”  So full of hope, the little caterpillar goes alone into the dark, scary cocoon, trusting it will all be worth it in the end.  And then sure enough, miraculously emerging from the isolated cocoon as a beautiful colorful butterfly….soaring so high, wings fluttering & flying free.  The journey of the butterfly truly defines what it means to have hope and faith.  Much like the “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel” saying, it has been the promise that there is a radiant beautiful butterfly inside of me that has gotten me through some of my darkest times in life.

 With that imagery in mind, it is no wonder that some of my most favorite moments in life, I so often refer to as my “butterfly moments.”  Those thrilling, exciting, squeal-inducing moments that make our hearts skip a beat (or two).  That butterfly “flutter” of excitement & hope, offering a glimpse or an idea of something better, thus filling our hearts with a sense of hope for what is yet to come.   Those moments you feel your life lift UP and take flight!  Whether it’s that first moment you step off the airplane, finally arriving at one of your “bucket list” spots like Paris or maybe Italy ~ standing there in a state of complete awe of this beautiful city you have only dreamed of seeing and experiencing firsthand, excited for all of the sights & adventures that are yet to come.  

Or maybe it was receiving a call or text from that cute guy you met last Friday night and were so hoping to hear from.  It could be that moment of hopping onto the scale and seeing that seemingly unattainable number staring back at you confirming that you DID IT….you finally hit your goal weight after all of your hard work!  It could even simply be the act of genuinely connecting with a guy or girl, giving you that that fuzzy feeling of “YES!  You GET me!” while in your own little world, as if nothing and no one exists but this person & I.  Maybe you received that long awaited phone call telling you that you got the dream job you were praying for or the call informing you that you were just approved for the dream home you were hoping for!  

Or maybe it was last month when you were sitting in the hospital waiting room, your heart overcome with nervous anticipation, squeezing your husband’s hand so tightly you just about cut off his blood circulation, waiting there anxiously to get your test results back from your yearly checkup and then finally receiving the official word from your doctor…. You. Are. 100%. Cancer. FREE!  Hallelujah!  Maybe it was getting discharged from the hospital JUST in time for the holidays and proceeding to dance around your kitchen with holiday music blaring while baking cookies for Santa with your kids.  Fa La La La LOVE it!  Perhaps it was that phone call from the doctor saying that despite all of the odds & very much to his surprise, your loved one had miraculously taken a turn for the better!!!   Or it could be just making the conscious decision to choose LIFE & focus on living. 

My friend Jen (whose incredible story took the media by storm), upon receiving a not-so-good prognosis from her oncologist last year decided to marry her soulmate, the man she had been with for the last six years…they decided they were going to focus on life. What was supposed to be a simple backyard wedding was quickly transformed into a dream wedding (literally HER dream wedding, bringing all of Jen’s Pinterest boards to life in the shortest amount of time) with the expenses 100% paid for, all by the kindness of strangers.  It makes me cry just thinking about what an extraordinary gift she received….it was truly the happiest, most beautiful day imaginable for her & her entire family.  Whenever I watch the video (courtesy of Wendi Koble from Swoon Films) from their dream wedding (which I so often do), it feels like one huge butterfly “pinch me” moment after another…I can truly feel the flutter, their hearts & hopes lifting up and taking flight.  

And as a true sign of the universe working it’s beautiful magic, I recently experienced a bit of a butterfly moment myself when Amy (MNU’s founder) first approached me to write this very column for her…..which means I experienced a butterfly moment while being asked to be a part of an amazing company whose trademarked symbol is in fact a beautiful butterfly…..Can I say MAGIC? 

Butterfly moments make life so exciting because “it’s the POSSIBILITY of having a dream come true that makes life so SO interesting” (Paulo Coelho ~ “The Alchemist”). The butterfly moment, the possibility of it happening, the possibility of a dream coming true ~ that’s the good stuff in life…..ahhh that feeling!   Don’t you just want to hold on to those feelings forever?  Replaying them over & over in your mind again & again.  Who doesn’t love that feeling?  

Possibilities. What if’s. I love this quote from the movie “Letters to Juliet” ~ “’What’ and ‘If’ are two words as non-threatening as words can be… But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if?”  

I urge you to never stop dreaming, never stop hoping ~ for without having hopes & dreams in this journey, our lives are simply without direction and lose meaning.

So don’t hide in your isolated cocoons!  Emerge, be seen, flap those glorious wings, allow yourself to dream BIG & live a life that is so full of hope!  Don’t allow yourself to be haunted by a lifetime of “What if’s”.   Most importantly, enjoy each and every one of those butterfly moments.  That is truly the good stuff in life!   And remember, LOVE always makes us better.  When we love and when we are open to love, we always “strive to become better” versions of ourselves than we are.   Love only further enhances everything.  Let your hearts lift up and take that glorious flight!  Flutter, flutter, flutter! xx

*I dedicate this piece to my amazing mother who instilled the love for butterflies into my heart at a very young age…