The Butterfly

What a beautiful morning! Surfboard in hand. Cool sand slid between my toes. The breeze kissed my face. The soft, warm glow of the sun crept up. The water invited me in. The board knifed through the water. The only sound was of my hands exiting the water as I paddled. As I renewed my friendship to the ocean, the east coast of Florida came to life. The waves were perfect. It was in effect that morning. In the lull between swells, I thought of the butterfly.

Long day at work. No news from Georgetown med, but maybe I will hear from them today. I kicked myself for applying so late, although I knew circumstances had not allowed me to really apply much earlier. Heck as it was I lucky enough to take the MCAT and get my application out period. Life has a way of happening while you are making other plans. Lennon was definitely right about that one. Let's see here. Bill, junk mail, have no idea what this is, a letter for Georgetown. Oh shit, a letter from Georgetown. Oh shit, it is not a packet...just a regular letter. Is this a Dear John? Crap. Should I even bother opening it? Who am I kidding? Of course I am going to open it! "We are pleased to..." I didn't need to read another word. I collapsed into the couch and thought of the butterfly.

The port was its usual, commercial fisherman, leisure fisherman, the local assortment of alcoholic fishes, sunny day. I figured the bench was a nice spot to wait. Near the entrance, maybe I could catch a glimpse as she was walking in. If it were not for the gum I had chewed for the last few hours, then my jaw would have been on the floor. Stunning, not enough. Gorgeous, nope, still not enough. Matter of fact, I'm still looking for the right descriptive term. Did I just become the luckiest man on the planet or what? She made me nervous. I never get nervous any more. Suddenly, I felt alive. I sat there completely lost in her. Naturally pretty, eyes that could make a blind man cry, an inviting smile. Pearl necklace with a nice blouse. Legs that didn't stop. Sandals. We had barely said two words to each other, and I was already in the hurt locker. By the end of lunch, I couldn't get enough, beautiful, passionate, funny, loving, caring. I completely melted in my state of paralysis. She was real and right there in front of me. On my drive home, I thought of the butterfly.

I often wonder about the butterfly. At the heart of a very complex system that intertwines us all with the environment around us lies the butterfly. In a wonderful kind of way, every event no matter how small or how great is dependent on those events that came before it. The butterfly batting its wings halfway across the world plays a roll in the wind patterns that affect the surf on the coast of Florida. And, what if those wind patterns set in motion a chain of reactions that allowed me to surf on that beautiful day, get into medical school, let alone meet a woman I completely and utterly adore. I smile when I think of all the possible ways a butterfly may have affected my life. Secretly, I see butterflies as God's angels. It is entirely possible that his work is passed along through butterflies. Entirely possible.