Life as a 51 y/o butterfly

Yo Mama is so fat and according to my 2 grown children, I am a "butterfly". Sounds like a complement doesn't it? You have to consider the context in which it is being used.

Evidently, they were talking about a newly found phenomenon, the Turritopsis nutricula, a jellyfish that may have the ability of eternal life. Then the subject somehow went from the jellyfish to comparing it to the life of a butterfly.

Then they decided that they would compare themselves to lifecycle of the butterfly. They decided that they were in the pupa stage. Yes, my kids are strange. They also decided that I was a butterfly. They seemed to think it might  be funny to tell me that I am a butterfly because I would definately misconstrue that as a complement.

So my daughter tells me (on my birthday) that the butterfly stage is the last stage of the butterfly's life, so not really a good thing.

I thought I would research this for myself.

There are 4 stages of the butterfly.

The egg
The caterpillar which is the feeding and growth stage.
The pupa which is the transformation stage.
The butterfly which is the reproductive, most mobile stage. It undergoes courtship during this stage. It mates, lays eggs and migrates or colonizes and then it dies.

Pretty depressing to be a butterfly at my stage of the game. I've done the reproduction part (hence the 2 above mentioned adults). The courtship, mating, egg laying, egg laying? part all had to be done to finish the process of reproduction. So what is left?

Not much. Great.

So then I went out and sat on my deck and watched. We live in the woods and at this time of year, there are hundreds of butterflys. I have spent many an afternoon out there just watching.

I decided that I like being a butterfly, even if I am not in my early stages of my butterfly life. All the really hard work is done.
I can fly.
I am free.
I can go where I want to go.
I am comfortable with who I am. There aren't anymore huge transformations for me to go through.
I am beautiful.

I am a 51 year old butterfly.

By the way. By definition, you guys are butterflies too.

Being a butterfly is what helped me be able to write this blog. Admitting that I need to lose weight publicly has been freeing. Even a year ago, I don't think I would have been comfortable enough to write it. Being comfortable with who I am has allowed me to do this. Thank you to my husband for making me feel beautiful even with being overweight.

Love to all,
Yo Mama