Walking down a path

through some woods

in Georgia , I saw

a mud puddle ahead

on the path.

I angled my direction

to go around it on the

part of the path that

wasn't covered by water

and mud.

As I reached the puddle,

I was suddenly attacked!

Yet I did nothing for

the attack was so

unpredictable and from

a source so totally

unexpected.

I was startled as well

but unhurt, despite having

been struck four or five

times already. I backed

up a foot and my attacker

stopped attacking me.

Instead of attacking more,

he hovered in the air on

graceful butterfly wings

in front of me.

If I had been hurt I

wouldn't have found it

amusing, but I was unhurt,

it was funny, and I was

laughing. I was being

attacked by a butterfly!

Having stopped laughing,

I took a step forward.

My attacker rushed me again.

He rammed me in the chest

with his head and body,

striking me over and over

again with all his might,

still to no avail.

For a second time, I

retreated a step while my

attacker relented in his

attack. Yet again, I tried

moving forward. My attacker

charged me again. I was

rammed in the chest over

and over again.

I wasn't sure what to do,

other than to retreat a

third time. After all,

it's not everyday that

one is attacked by a

butterfly.

This time, though,

I stepped back

several steps to look

the situation over.

My attacker moved

back as well to land

on the ground.

That's when I discovered

why my attacker was

charging me

only moments earlier.

He had a mate and

she was dying. She

was beside the puddle

where he landed.

Sitting close beside

her, he opened and

closed his wings as

if to fan her.

I could only admire

the love and courage

of that butterfly in

his concern for his mate.

He had taken it upon

himself to attack me

for his mate's sake,

even though she was

clearly dying and I

was so large. He did

so just to give her

those extra few

precious moments of

life, should I have

been careless enough

to step on her.

Now I knew why and

what he was fighting

for. There was really

only one option left

for me. I carefully

made my way around

the puddle to the

other side of the

path, though it was

only inches wide

and extremely muddy.

His courage in attacking

something thousands of

times bigger and

heavier than himself

just for his mate's

safety justified it.

I couldn't do anything

other than reward him

by walking on the more

difficult side of the

puddle.

He had truly earned

those moments to be

with her, undisturbed,

left there in peace

for those last few

moments.

Cleaning the mud

from my boots when

I later reached my car.

My thoughts were with

those little butterflies.

Since then, I've tried

to remember the courage

of that butterfly whenever

I see huge obstacles

facing me.

I use that butterfly's

courage as an inspiration

and to remind myself

that good things are

worth fighting for.