Years ago I came across what appeared to be a childrenÕs book at a bookstore. It was a simple story about a caterpillar, filled with colorful illustrations. However, upon reading it, I realized that there was more to this than I had expected.
For a long time, I regretted not having bought the book that day, but I couldnÕt remember the title.
I have put the story into my own words below, but if you like the message, I recently found out that the book is called ÒHope for the FlowersÓ by Trina Paulus.
____________________________________________________
Once
upon a time there was a little caterpillar. He was finally on his own and wanted to make something of
his life, but he didnÕt know where to start. He sat on a rock, to think about how he might be able to
achieve his dreams.
Soon
a group of caterpillars hurried by.
He called out to them, but they were in too big a rush to notice him.
ÒGoshÓ,
thought the little caterpillar, Òthey look like they know where theyÕre
going! IÕll follow them.Ó
And
follow them he did. More and more
caterpillars joined the group.
Eventually,
they came to a huge gathering of caterpillars, and the little caterpillar saw
something he couldnÕt believe.
Ahead of him was a huge column of caterpillars, all climbing on top of
one another, creating a tower of caterpillars that stretched upwards as far as
the eye could see.
The
little caterpillar stopped in his tracks, looking up in awe. All the other caterpillars were rushing
to the base of the tower.
ÒWhat
am I supposed to do?Ó asked the little caterpillar.
Another
caterpillar paused just long enough to shout over his shoulder, ÒDonÕt you
know?! You must climb up the
tower. Success lies at the
top.Ó And then he hopped
into the crawling mass of caterpillars, and was gone.
The
little caterpillar knew what he had to do. He gulped nervously and plunged into the column.
It
was cramped beyond belief with caterpillars fighting to climb upwards. One caterpillar even stepped on the
little caterpillarÕs head in order to push himself up.
ÒSo
thatÕs how it is,Ó thought the little caterpillar.
And
with that, he took a deep breath, and fought with all his might. He pushed and squirmed and fought and
climbed higher and higher and higher.
He soon became the fastest climber around. Once he even stepped on another caterpillarÕs head,
but he was determined to reach the top.
He knew that if he could make it to the top he would find success, and
all his dreams would come true.
He
soon lost all track of time, but he felt as though he had been climbing for
weeks and weeks. Then one day, he
did it. He broke through to the
top!
He
was breathless in anticipation for what he would find. He looked around and saw-
ÉThere
was nothing. Just air. He frantically scanned the horizon
searching for somethingÉanything.
Then he noticed something unsettling. In the distance, he saw that there were many other
caterpillar towers. All packed
with thousands of caterpillars pushing their way to the top. Pushing their way toÉnothing. The towers just climbed upwards, and
then ended. The caterpillars at
the top were no better off. They
were no closer to achieving their dreams then the ones at the bottom.
The
caterpillar sat there for a few moments, letting it sink in.
And
then he just dove down, back into the column.
ÒWhat
are you doing?!Ó asked a confused caterpillar as the little caterpillar passed
him.
ÒAre you
crazy? YouÕre going the wrong
way!Ó shouted another caterpillar.
But the little
caterpillar ignored them and continued downwards until he finally found himself
back on the ground. He looked once
more up at the tower, turned on his heels, and walked away. He may not have known where he was
going, but he knew the answers didnÕt lie here.
He walked
aimlessly for some time, and he soon grew bored. Before his big trek to the towers, one of his favorite
things to do was to spin silk. He
never thought it would amount to much so he had given it up. Now, he spun silk with joyful
abandon. He got better and better
at it, and soon he was able to spin it into beautiful shapes. He spun a lovely silk button that was
so strong he was able to hang from it.
He was so tired from all the spinning that he decided to take a nice
long nap.
He
had no idea how long he had slept, but when he awoke he found that he was
inside a chrysalis. Once he had
pushed his way out, he realized that something was very different.
His
body had changed, and he was no longer a caterpillar. He had undergone a metamorphosis. He now had two, beautiful, brightly colored wings. He had become a butterfly!
He
flapped his wings and took off into the sky. He was flying! He flew off in exhilaration, over the hills, over the
caterpillar towers and beyond, into his wildest dreams.
Following
the rules and doing things the way theyÕre Òsupposed to be doneÓ isnÕt always
the answer.
There are
many ways to get to where you want to be.
If you live in New York and want to get to California you could travel
to the West. But you could also
travel to the East and get there as well; it just might take a little
longer.
And on your journey, you just might find a new destination thatÕs so much better than the one you had intended!