One day, I was asked a very strange question. They asked, "if you were an animal or insect, what would you be." Though I never thought about this, I had a quick answer. I would be a butterfly.
One similarity between a butterfly and myself is the developing process. A butterfly spends the beginning of its life as larva and then a pupa, not yet achieving it’s final appearance.

Throughout all of elementary and middle school, I never really found my identity, and I just drifted through three years of hallways with no known purpose. It took me awhile to come out of my shell, just like a butterfly emerges from it’s pupa. By the time I reached high school, I had found myself. I had grown my wings, as a butterfly does. It was this momentous point in life that I was able to prosper and fly.

Some butterflies close their wings when they land, such as the Blue Morpho Butterfly. I feel that this trait is similar to my own. When I am not in a musical setting, or when I am “grounded,” I close up and become more reserved and shy. But when I am playing music, or “flying”, I open up and become myself. It is only when a butterfly is flying, that one can see the grace and the beautiful patterns and colors it possesses on its wings. This is similar to how one can only see my full self and passion when I am playing my flute. It is only when I open up my wings that one can see my true colors.

A butterfly is known to be silent, and in my own community, I am rather quiet as well. This similar aspect may be because we are both too busy absorbing our environment and observing and analyzing our surroundings. We can express ourselves without words or sounds. Some people confuse silence with ignorance, or think that quiet people don’t have much to say. If people did more listening, and stopped to watch the butterflies fly, they would see the grace and the beautiful colors they carry.