A Short Fable About Purpose and Joy
Most weeks, I write essays about compassion, responsibility, human nature, and the small choices that shape our lives. This week, I wanted to share one of those ideas in a different form.
Before The Nature Within Us, I wrote a small collection of fables called Freedom at the Lake. The stories were simple on purpose. They used animals, nature, and imagination to ask quiet questions about how we live.
This fable is called “Monarch Butterflies.” It is a story about purpose, joy, and two different ways of moving through the same life.
This is a tale of two butterflies from when they were both caterpillars on their milkweed. One was named Princess Dana, and the other Princess Gina. They were monarch butterflies.
Princess Gina knew what it meant to be a butterfly, even at the young age of being a caterpillar, and Princess Dana knew the purpose of being a butterfly.
Princess Dana would eat the milkweed, knowing she had to prepare for the cocoon. Princess Gina would eat the milkweed because it made her smile.
Princess Dana made her cocoon strong to withstand the weather and to keep her safe from others. Princess Gina made her cocoon as comfy as possible for her long rest.
When they emerged as butterflies, Princess Dana exercised her wings and prepared them for the long trek to Mexico. Princess Gina moved her wings to refresh them in the sun, for she loved the sun.
Princess Dana looked for flowers filled with nectar. Princess Gina looked for the biggest and brightest flowers that matched her wings.
Sometimes, dogs chased butterflies. Princess Dana would fly high enough that the dogs couldn’t reach her to stay safe. Princess Gina would fly high enough to make the dogs bark and jump, for it made her laugh.
Princess Dana knew she had to fly to a warmer place, so she headed south. Princess Gina was getting cold, so she went south.
When Princess Dana went north to have her children, Princess Gina flew north because the other butterflies were doing that.
After Princess Dana laid her eggs, she said, “My purpose has been met.”
After Princess Gina laid her eggs, she said, “What a great life — to be a butterfly.”
I hope you enjoy this small fable from Freedom at the Lake, and the quiet question it leaves behind.
Albert Jr.
Author of The Nature Within Us
Freedom at the Lake and Other Fables A collection of short, illustrated stories that bring imagination, nature, and timeless lessons to life.
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