The most beautiful moments are fleeting, and if you’re not looking, you can miss them entirely.
My furbaby Lizzie makes sure I spend plenty of time outside. On our walks, I notice things—whether the grass needs cutting or the hedges trimmed, the feel of the weather, the position of the sun (or sometimes the moon).
On one walk recently, Lizzie paused to investigate a suspicious (to her) mound of grass, and I stood there breathing in the heady scent of sweet shrubs and the green, living air of spring.
Then I saw it.
A small butterfly, so unassuming it was little more than a mark against the ground. I could have overlooked it. I could have stepped on it, even, or otherwise disturbed it without ever knowing it was there.
But it lingered for a few quiet moments, wings open to the sun.
I noticed its colors—warm and autumnal, unexpected against the brightness of spring. I thought about how short a butterfly’s life is, and realized I was witnessing a small, perfect piece of it…sunning itself on a gentle day.
Lizzie moved on, and the butterfly lifted into the air.
But the moment stayed.
A reminder to notice. To slow down. To treasure the time we’re given—short or long—and to find joy in the simplest of things.