Butterflies: Everything Has Purpose

This past weekend was busy! We had several days off work and school and we spent it exploring different parts of Mumbai that we had not seen before. One of those places was the Maharashtra Nature Park. It is not far from our home and is built on the Mithi River. It is on the edge of the Dharavi Area (one of the largest slums in the world) and used to be a dump for Mumbai. But several years ago they cleaned up the land and planted trees. They wanted to make a nature reserve and they have specialized in butterflies. 

We went with some friends and they had a tour guide line up to talk us through all of the different plants that were carefully chosen. At one point of the tour the guide said something that really stuck with me: "Everything in nature has a purpose." She then went on explaining that the trees feed the caterpillars and provide protection for the life-cycle of the butterfly. And the butterflies help pollinate and the caterpillars keep the forage trimmed. 

As I thought more about the statement, I was touched by the statement. I firmly believe that it applies to people too. We all have a purpose--something we do helps ourselves become better and helps others succeed as well. A beautiful lesson to learn in a beautiful place. 

That is when the second lesson hit me--that this used to be a dump--literally full of discarded trash. But to look at it now it is thriving and a home to so many beautiful things. Just like us when we fight back from a hard experience or a mistake we have made. We may have our crap we wallow in for a time, but we can have a beautiful life--one that we can thrive and others around us can too. It does not mean it will be always perfect--there is always mosquitos! 

 

We loved all of the flowers and plants. The only thing we did NOT like was all the mosquitos. 

We loved seeing all of the butterflies. There were colors were so diverse. We thought it was funny to see that some of the butterflies are called "Mormon." The Common Mormon is blue--of course! HAHA

The guides were very informative. With all the mosquitoes eating us as they spoke it started to get hard to listen! HAHA

After our tour we came back and cleaned up. We went to IHOP! It just opened in Mumbai in a really upscale swanky mall. We thought it was funny because at home it is an average place to eat and here it is full of people with a LONG line to get it. It was fun to get a bit of home in the form of Pancakes!

Both Muggles have been building Legos the last few days. I am so happy that they love to do it. They both surprise me with how complex of a set that they can take on. I love to see their excitement when they have finished a set and want to show it off! 

The caterpillar eats between the leaves until it is developed. 

They believe this tree and its three leaves represent the three larges gods in Hinduism; therefore, it is a sacred tree. 

This trip was amazing. We were able to take lessons from nature about how we all have a place in the world. I also how you can make something beautiful and perfect from things that are dirty and full of rubbish. Just like we can move past hard times in life or make amends for mistakes we have made.