The monarch caterpillar thrives on milkweed. We have two small plants in our front yard. The monarch eats it, grows nice and fat and lays its eggs on the underside of the leaves before wandering as far as forty feet away to find a suitable place to become a chrysalis. “Suitable” means any place that is firm enough for it to both adhere to and hang from, a place that will allow for a strong attachment, holding it up as it becomes something new.
For the monarch caterpillar there is no perfect spot, there is only the spot that they find. On this day I was lucky enough to bear witness to the connection that was made just a few feet from our front door.
The monarch leaves the comfortable nourishment of the milkweed to find a place, as yet unknown to them, to go through the changes necessary to its survival. It sets off in search of the connection that will support its transformation.
Fed by our preparation, we set off in search of the connections that will help us to transform.
Prepare. Connect. Transform. These are the changes necessary for our survival.
DAVID BERRY is the founder of RULE13 Learning. He speaks and writes about the complexity of leading in a changing world, especially the parts where he doesn’t handle it very well. If you enjoyed this post someone else might, too. Please pass it along.
