Is it true? For a human being to ever see a butterfly in our lifetime is a miracle! Someone shared this factoid with me a few years ago, and then I heard Katie Couric mention it just before she left the “Today” show. I’ve been searching the Internet, looking for some data that would give me the odds of one seeing a butterfly or not in one’s life! Surely someone has done the research and worked the numbers, haven’t they? Someone worked the odds for the Monarch butterfly; specifically those that have been tagged to give scientists the ability to track their migratory path and successful arrivals to their seasonal home. For someone to see a tagged monarch, the odds are over 3,500,000 to 1.
My partner and I love butterflies. The butterfly is a symbol of hope in our family. This past October and November found me riding the bus for over four hours each day to visit my partner while he was incarcerated for a probation violation. From the bus stop, I walked along a jogging path utilized by the Maricopa Sheriff’s Department for about one-third of a mile before making my way into the visitation check-in. From the very first trip I made, to my very last, each day I was “escorted” by a pair of Monarch butterflies that would fly seemingly while performing the tango. I can’t be sure if it was the same pair each day, but I am telling you honestly that every day two butterflies flew right alongside me for that one-third of a mile hike I made. At a time when I was feeling so lost, alone and afraid, there was my symbol of hope, right there at my side.
From what I can recall from Katie Couric’s brief mention of the odds of seeing a butterfly on this earthly plane and in our lifetime, it is important to note that even though our population has exploded, we still are not populating the planet all that densely. There is still approximately 7.5 miles between each human on earth if the entire surface was livable. Then there is the butterfly’s struggle from larvae, to pupae, to the big reveal of the transformed winged creature all worth noting. There are so many predators and things that could go wrong in this transformation. Perhaps it just isn’t necessary to know the odds. I think I’ll just be satisfied knowing that each time I see a butterfly, I’m witnessing a miracle!
Posted by jookut on April 29, 2008 at 5:59 am
It’s a butterfly effects?