Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


After my walk, I stopped at the pear tree to pick a few stranglers. I used my t-shirt as a make-shift gathering basket, and when I glanced down after one slipped from my grasp, I saw the monarch butterfly at my feet.

It was feeding on a rotting pear that had fallen from the branches. Even a pear barreling toward it didn't move it from the sweet treat. The sweet nectar had also attracted a bevy of other marauders. Even with the striking orange and black of the majestic butterfly poised there, I couldn't get past the ugly insects, despite the green iridescence on paper-thin wings.

I'd seen another butterfly float on the wind currents as I'd walked down the road earlier, but it didn't sit still for a close-up. Arrrgh, I thought! Why couldn't it have perched on a branch or found a flower from which to draw its sustenance? Who wants to look at a rotting pear and dirty flies, even when they have a beautiful visitor in their midst? Certainly not me!

It finally lighted on a leaf long enough that I could snap a more pleasing fall portrait, complete with green pear leaves and a yellow cottonwood leaf. I could still hear the buzzing of the ravenous insect world, chowing down on the rotting fruit, but I could ignore it through the view finder, focusing instead on the stained-glass-like traits of the royal butterfly as it paused before migrating on.
So what's the message? Should I be overlooking the "ugly"? Or is it more honest to report the bad with the good? Nobody has a Perfect 10 day all the time, but I tend to report the more positive spin on life, rather than focusing on the negative.

I saved an email devotional awhile back. It said: 

The only difference
between stumbling blocks and stepping stones
 is the way in which we use them.
 –Anonymous
Taken in Yellowstone National Park - 2011
So maybe it is better to see the stepping stones and the butterflies in life, even when they come disguised as stumbling blocks or complete with pesky flies.

A Time to Pray (also from the devotional):
God, just for today, let me see only the good.
Give me the eyes of faith, the heart of hope.
***
I'm linked today to Jennifer Dukes Lee's Tell His Story feature on her blog. Click on the link to check it out!

4 comments:


  1. The only difference
    between stumbling blocks and stepping stones
    is the way in which we use them.
    –Anonymous Oh this is so very true and yes to show the good the bad and the ugly is life and we should not hide it. Life is not always perfect and that is OK we just have to get through the ugly to appreciate the beauty we see everyday and may be overlooking. Great shots. Hug B

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks B! Sometimes it's easier to the see the beauty, but it's always there, isn't it?

      Delete
  2. Oh those pesky flies! They are bad here this year. But, we have to take the good, bad and ugly everyday.
    And thanks for the prayer for today. Gonna need it. We are working the heifer babies today! :)
    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck with the calves, Cheri! Yes, we can all use extra prayers when working cattle. Hope it all goes well!

      Delete