Most of you know that I am working on the Bertha sequel…and…if you didn’t…well…you do now…anyway…yesterday I was working on a story about accepting change…basically…Bertha…is teaching me about accepting change…by planting…what most people would call a butterfly garden…but…not being most people…Bertha calls it her…transformation garden…
Here’s an excerpt…Bertha…is relating her memories of spending time in her Grandma Minnie Mae’s transformation garden as a child…
So…of course…the concept of change and transformation…has been on my 
mind a lot since then…and…Bertha…has been all too happy to continue to give me insights…
First…I’m thinking…that of course the caterpillar should want to transform in to a butterfly…butterflies…rock…they’re beautiful…they flutter…they fly…who wouldn’t want to be a butterfly…
Then…she explained…the butterfly isn’t…better…than the caterpillar…it’s only different…and…that my perception that it is…better…is just that…my perception…and…that in truth…each stage of the metamorphosis…is equally important…cannot be rushed…is vital…
She used my writing as an example…I wrote and published Bertha-Size Your Life!…as a caterpillar…I thought I was a butterfly…but…I wasn’t…then…disillusioned…I stopped writing for a period of time…I cocooned…now…as I’m writing again…I’m emerging…into…a butterfly…not necessarily better…but…different than before…having gained a perspective and strength from the cocooning period…
Second…she explained…that I can be in different stages of metamorphosis…all at the same time…so…my writing is becoming a butterfly…while my fitness…is cocooning…and…some parts of me…are still a caterpillar…and…some have been butterflies for a long time…
As odd as that may sound…it gives me such comfort…I tend…to be hard on myself…to expect more than I am capable of doing at times…to not understand…that…I’m just cocooning…and…that is just part of the process…of change…of transformation…
Hmmm…that feels so nice…thank you…Bertha…
Jane
Holy OMG – how much do I LOVE this post… This is beautiful.
I ADORE the idea of a transformation garden… and you bet your sweet fancy loveliness I’ll be putting one in the backyard this year… that will be awesome to meditate in… YEE HAW.
Jenn…I can just see your garden now…I got the idea when I visited with Bea earlier in the week and we went to a friend’s house to pick blueberries…she was growing catmint…because the caterpillars liked it…and…they became Monarch butterflies…glad it spoke to you as well!
Love this!! So very true!!! We all transform. Change is difficult because we don’t know exactly what is on the other side, yet we know there is the possibility of becoming butterflies!!!!
Thanks Arlene…I agree…most of us have an inate fear of the unknown…I know that I do…I’m going to try…snuggling down in my cocoon…and enjoying the rest…knowing…a butterfly is coming…
I would very much like to have my own Bertha, who could help me with such insights. Would your Bertha like to come visit UK for a while and spend some time with me? Or does she only work for you?
Joy xx
Thank you Joy…of course…Bertha would love to be with you in the UK…and…if you listen…carefully…you can hear her whispering in your ear…just check your closet…if the shoes have been rearranged…she’s probably there…LOL!
Actually…I think she’d love your new studio…and the views…she’s definitely on her way!
Yahooo a sequel is coming!
Thanks, Christy…I’m working on it!
Jane, thank you for giving a name to this. Cocooning…what a lovely thing to call this period. I call it all sorts of things and berate myself for partaking. Thank you, friend! Keep transforming. I look forward to your next book.
Peggy Browning
Hmmm…Peggy…I may have started something…your cocoon or mine…LOL! We definitely need periods of rest…however…I usually berate myself for taking them…I should be _____ just fill in the blank…maybe caterpillars got it figured out…it takes rest to become a butterfly…oooh…I like that too!