We Are the Butterfly

I've heard it said that when a butterfly flaps its wings the effect can be felt on the other side of the world. It's a 100+ year-old metaphor used in chaos theory that one small action in a dynamic or changing system can not only have an effect on the whole, but create a long-term change in that system.

One of our small actions can lead to one big change, in our life, in the life of another, or in the world at large, whatever the system is that we're trying to effect.

Saturday night I was the one affected in a big way by the beautiful butterfly dancing up on stage. Her dancing, the amazing vocal talent of Rupesh, my own daughter dancing around after the competition was over......Made me realize that WE are the butterfly

And when we have the courage to even TRY to live our dreams, we flap our wings and affect others in a positive way, be it in the room or clear across the world.

It filled my heart with love and peace.....this is what life is about - freely and fearlessly expressing the truth and beauty inside of us, flapping our wings and changing the world in more beautiful way.

Yesterday I received this picture from a former student

She's loving middle school and loving life, dreaming and doing bigger than ever before. And because of this, she's feeling big in this world and flapping her wings, effecting great change in herself and the world around her.

Last year when she was thinking and doing little I would flap my wings and let her know. Having potential means nothing if you don't use it, and by teaching her as the brilliant, creative individual she was, not only did she go up a level on the state test, but she went up a level in who she was and what she was capable of doing and being.

Yesterday in class a student came up to me complaining that she's only been in the country for two years and it isn't fair for me to expect her to produce as much as the other students because they've been here 8 years longer.

I told her the truly fair thing for me to do was to expect her to work 8 times harder. She began to cry, just as the student in the picture above did last year when I told her she had to flap her wings harder (flashing me back to when Patrice was in my class - The Last of the Mohicans - A Tribute to Patrice)

I wasn't trying to make her cry but get her out of her cocoon and to see herself as I did, a beautiful butterfly capable of much bigger thought and action. Instead of lowering the bar for her I raised it, challenging her to get more points on the online math program than she has ever done before.

Not only did she do that, but this morning I can see she worked harder than all but 2 of her classmates, outworking 18 others.

Today I'm going to stand on the desks and invite her to join me, in celebration for flapping her wings so hard.

Because the truth is, what she does in her life will echo in her world.

And if she does it big enough, brilliantly enough, and beautifully enough......it will echo in eternity as to what we all can do and be........our biggest, most brilliant and beautiful selves.