
Let's just think about this for a moment. You know the whole caterpillar into butterfly metaphor folks like to use for personal change and growth. Well, this year in my classroom we had caterpillars that changed into chrysalis and then some into butterflies. During the chrysalis process my assistant pointed out that it looked like one caterpillar had lost its head. I brushed that disturbing thought aside but she looked it up. Well, what we learned shocked us both and to me sounded like a scene out of Aliens. The truth of this metaphor, I have since learned, is that it is an ugly, messy process. In fact it can even be a bit horrifying at times. During it you must rest, take time for yourself, maybe even take a break from the world a bit. But at the end of it all, you will be changed. And in that change you will be able to go farther, to contribute more, and bring more beauty to this world.