I found a sailboat in my heart, gave it a pair of butterfly wings, and watched it fly away.
The Yellow Walls
I wanted more sunshine in my life, so I painted my house yellow. I planted rows of sunflowers and batches of yellow zucchini in my garden. I lay down a yellow brick path that led to my bronze plated doorknob. My house was so yellow that you couldn't help but smile when you opened the door. I was spinning in my yellow sundress and twirling with my gold earrings. I ate bananas and popcorn and pineapple and peaches. I had stacks of yellow post-its where I wrote lists of yellow things with my lemon-scented crayons. And then one day, I received a blue package in the mail. I was startled. I opened up the blue box, and a blue butterfly flew out into my yellow palace. I chased the butterfly trying to catch it in my hands. I ran in circles, climbed up trees, stood on tables, and crawled on my knees. I tried so hard to remove the fluttering misfit from my life. Each time I got close, the butterfly would skim gracefully through my fingers. I unwillingly let the outlier stay. He danced and fluttered and brought me a yellow rose. I slowly grew to love this soft blue spot of compassion against my perfect yellow walls.
The Butterfly Book
I found a book at the library titled, "How to be an artist". I always dreamed of being an artist. I had this little creative cocoon in my heart that was desperate to emerge. I grabbed the book and ran home to read it. I was absorbed by the pages and traveled inside the pictures. I returned several hours later bubbling with ideas and images. My heart was fluttering and I danced to the library to get more books. I took home books on arts and crafts and painting and drawing. I carried home books on origami and collage and stencils and acrylics. I was spinning with joy as my house overflowed with how-to books on creativity. I started to work my way through one pile at a time. Twenty piles later, I was drowning in books and sinking into other people’s imagination. I had so many ideas that I had no idea where to start. I was trapped in towers of creative knowledge. I left my house and went outside with my sketchbook. I forgot everything I learned from all the books, and started drawing the little creative butterfly bursting out from inside of me.
The Caterpillar Costume
I dressed up as a caterpillar and took my kite to the park. I stretched my long train-like body along the grass, holding my dark green kite with my antenna. The kite blew in the wind as I swiveled back and forth to keep up with the movement. The sky was full of puffy white clouds, and my kite got squished in between two giant marshmallow clouds. The kite tugged at my antenna until it popped off and my caterpillar costume disappeared into thin air. I felt light and free, and I could no longer feel the ground. I was floating through the sky as a little butterfly.