The Oak Tree and the Butterfly

I felt inspired to write a story about the opportunities life presents to us, walking the path, and fulfilling your destiny.  I was helped by an oak tree and a butterfly.  I hope you enjoy it.

The Oak Tree and the Butterfly

In the middle of an ancient forest stood a mighty old English oak tree.  No one knew for certain how old the tree was, but had Columbus walked in this forest of England, rather than sailing for the Americas, he would have cast his eyes not on a new land, but on an already old tree.  The leaves of this great oak gave shelter from the rains of the spring and shade from the sun during summer.  Its acorns fed the squirrels, mice and deer of the forest in the autumn.  And in the winter, it stood naked and weathered the snows.      

One fine spring morning, when the fawns were running rings around their mothers down in the meadow and the young stags were examining each others new antlers, a butterfly came fluttering by and settled down on one of the green leaves of the oak tree. 

"I hope you do not mind my resting on you a little while Mr Oak", the butterfly spoke in a soft and delicate voice, "for I have already travelled far this morning and I am in need of a short rest."

"No, no" boomed the oak, "that is quite okay.  Actually, I like it when things come to me and stay a while and I can have a talk."

"You do flatter me Mr Oak, for I am only a young, small and insignificant butterfly compared with your great size, strength and age.  I am sure much grander and wiser creatures than I have graced your branches and leaves."

 "I like all the creatures that come to me.  They tell me such wonderful stories of things that I could never have imagined.  Tell me of your travels little butterfly.  Please tell me all that you have seen."

"But I would not trouble you with what I have seen, since you are of an age innumerable, you must have seen all that I have seen and probably a whole lot more besides!"

"You are right little butterfly.  I have been here many a year, I have seen seasons come and go and I have seen the changes that have come to the forest.  When I look out, I can see the forest all around me and I can see the sky above me and I can watch the clouds drifting over my head.  I can see the animals that come to take my shelter and my acorns.  But..."  The oak tree stopped and became quite sad.

"Have I upset you Mr Oak?  I am so sorry.  Please ignore this foolish butterfly, I really don't know what I'm doing sometimes.  I'll be going now and I'll leave you alone and in peace.  Good day!"

The butterfly started to flutter its wings in readiness for its flight.

"No, please don't go little butterfly.  I continue, just give me a moment to gather my thoughts.  Hmm... hmm..."

The butterfly was a bit perturbed because it had never known so mighty a tree to become upset.  It realised that even the things that appear to be the biggest and strongest must also have weaknesses too.  The oak tree gathered its thoughts before continuing once more.

"Hmm... Now where was I?", it asked the butterfly.

"You had just said that you could see a lot around you but..."

"Ah yes, that was it.  I can look over the forest but I would like to walk through the forest and pay visits to my friends.  I would like to be able to go and talk with the other trees, to ask of them what they have seen and share with them all that I have witnessed in my many years.  I would like to go and pay my respects to the deer, the badgers, the foxes, the squirrels and the little mice, all of whom come and rest under my branches, eat my acorns and talk with me.  I long to see what lies passed the edge of the forest, I have always wished to see what is over the horizon.  I have heard talk from the birds of a great expanse of water, larger than any forest you can imagine, and talk of lands that are beyond with magnificent mountains, rivers and valleys.  I would love to go and see and do all of these things but alas, my feet are rooted so deeply into the earth, and here I must stay."

"But you are the mighty oak tree!", exclaimed the butterfly.  "You are the strongest and eldest of all the trees in this forest.  Surely you could lift up your feet and walk if you so wished it?  Please try Mr Oak.  Try it now!"

"Little butterfly, my new friend, I have tried many, many times.  When I was still just a small sapling and I had first heard the stories, I tried and I tried.  Although my roots were not yet so deep, I could not manage it.  The other trees towered over me, holding me in their shade, taking all of the sun and rain for themselves, and they laughed at my attempts.  They said that I was foolish for trying and they did not understand why I wanted to move.  I tried so hard, every day for a whole year.  There was one night when the wind howled like never before and all of the forest shook with fear.  The rains came too that night and softened the soil.  I watched as some of the other trees, some of whom were my friends, lifted their feet and tried to walk but they just fell over.  I guessed it was because they had not used their legs in a very long time and they did not know any longer what to do with them.  I knew that if the other trees could lift their legs, then this would be my chance and so I tried with all of my might and all of my effort, but it was no use.  My legs were stuck and would not budge a single inch.  I was blown this way and that and because I was a still a young sapling, I bent one way, then the other, as the wind howled harder and harder.  I was able to move as one with the wind, even though I wanted its help to lift my feet from the earth.  Eventually, morning came and the sun rose and I saw that many of my friends had fallen during the night, but I had not."

The oak tree became very sad again as he thought back to this night of terror and destruction in the forest, and the loss of so many of his friends.

The butterfly felt sad about the trees friends and wanted to say something.  Just like so many of us in these moments, it felt awkward and didn't really know what were the right words to use.  It didn't know that any words spoken at such a time are words of comfort because they let the other person know that you care and that you can feel their loss and sorrow.  "I am so sorry about your friends Mr Oak", said the butterfly, "really I am.  It must have been a terrible time, seeing them lying there on the ground all around you."

The oak smiled at the butterfly.  "Thank you little butterfly, that is very kind of you to say.  But do you know what my little friend?"

The butterfly really didn't know what and it told the oak exactly that. So, the oak went on.  "Then, let me tell you little friend.  It is a funny thing this life," he said, "the great storm of that night took my friends and in so doing, it cleared the ground all around me.  I was able to feel the sun on my leaves all of the day, when before, I had stood most of the day in the shade and I had only received small patches through the leaves of the other trees that had surrounded me.  And because there were no longer other trees surrounding me, I could take all of the rain water for my own nourishment.  Because of this storm, I was able to grow large and strong and I was able to endure for many hundreds of years.  Sometimes in life, we find that we are in a bad situation, maybe we have lost those that we loved, maybe we have lost all that we had worked for, maybe we just feel lost at that particular moment.  But what I have realised little butterfly, is that life is actually giving us an opportunity, it has cleared the way for us and it has given us a chance to grow, to become all that we were destined to be.  Whether we like it or not, life moves us on in our journey and it gives to us all that we need, if we are able to see it, if we are able to see the opportunities that it places in our paths, and if we are able to take them."

The butterfly was confused.  "But Mr Oak, you wanted to walk and to see the world beyond the forest border.  How can you say that life gave you an opportunity and gave to you all that you needed?"  The little butterfly felt embarrassed to challenge the mighty old oak, but it continued, "Shouldn't it have helped you to lift your feet from the soil if what you are saying is true?  Wouldn't it have given you an opportunity to walk, as you wished?"

"Little butterfly, what you say is right.  If my destiny was to see what lies beyond, then life would have helped me to see it.  But that was never my destiny.  I am an oak tree, little butterfly.  My destiny was always to grow as tall and mighty as I was able and to give my acorns to the animals of the forest, and to give my leaves as their shelter.  And life gave to me that opportunity.  Although my feet have never left the earth, although I have been here for longer than all of the other trees in this forest, I was given a gift by life that night of the storm, and I have achieved my dreams."

The oak paused for a moment and looked out to the edge of the forest.  He felt as happy and contented this day, as he had since he realised what had always been his true calling in life.  The little butterfly was still a bit confused.

"But you wanted to walk!"

"Little butterfly, life has allowed me to walk.  Every day that I have been living, I have been able to walk my true path in life, the path that is and always will be mine.  And for that, I give thanks to the world and to life and I am happy."

The butterfly thought about it and knew that the oak was right.  It had been born a hairy caterpillar that crawled slowly, then it had spun its chrysalis and emerged as a beautiful butterfly that could fly and go wherever the wind took it.  It too was following its rightful path in life.

"Thank you for you leaves Mr Oak.  I feel rested and ready to go on.  I bid you farewell for today."

"And thank you for the conversation little butterfly."

And with that, the little butterfly flexed its wings once, twice, and was off.  The oak tree watched it go until it could see it no more.  The fawns still played down in the meadow and the stags still paraded their new antlers, and everything in the forest was exactly how it should be.