Have you ever pet a butterfly?

Someone said the butterfly was an angel. I tend to agree. And the feeling gave me such comfort, I won't even try to put it into words.

My vacation is at an end. I don't fully know what awaits Monday morning, but I'm sure it won't be pretty. With the unpredictability issue weighing heavily on my mind, I accepted a writer friend's invitation to spend the afternoon at her house. She's very earth-friendly, and as soon as I stepped onto her deck, the calm atmosphere had me. I stood by a pot of flowers on the deck rail, talking about my 'staycation' - the little writing I'd accomplished. 

Right then a beautiful butterfly flitted around me. It settled on a bright pink flower less than a foot away. I moved closer. It didn't stop sucking sweet nectar from the little flower. I leaned in to study its black body, it's beautiful wings with yellow spots and a shade of blue I've never seen as our conversation continued.

Don't ask me why, but I reached out. With one finger, I stroked it's wing - an incredible feeling like touching a silky fine feather. Instead of zooming away, it stayed perfectly still. I pet it again and again and again. Then, it opened it's wings to reveal more shades of blue. And I continued to pet it's wing. 

By now, all talk had stopped. My friend stared in disbelief. It left the flower and flitted around me once again, only to land by the next flower. Not quite sure I had experienced what I experienced, I reached out, sure it would fly away. But no. Once again, I pet it's wing, full of wonder and disbelief. 

Suddenly, her daughter's friend shouted, "Oooh! Me too!" The butterfly took off with two young girls chasing it as we stood there shocked. She said she'd never seen anything like this before. I had to agree. I've never been this close to a butterfly! The feeling? Well, it's not easy to describe. I felt every little silken bristle. I saw little white spots on his body and I swear I looked into his eyes. 


The inner me felt complete calm. As if time stood still or an out-of-body experience. It didn't seem real, yet three other people witnessed the moment.


I told my cousin about this last night. "I think it was an angel," she whispered.
"You think?"
"Oh yes... How many people do you know who have pet a butterfly?"
I couldn't answer. 
"Have you ever heard of anyone standing next to one or a butterfly allowing someone to touch it's wings?"
"No," I replied, still unable to explain how or why it happened.
"Wow. I'll bet this is a one in a million chance." I shrugged and smiled. She shook her head and smiled back. "Leave it to you to do something so strange. I still think it was an angel."
"I have no idea," was my reply, very soft, very tentative. 

The more I think about it, maybe she's right. I'll never know, but I will always remember how I felt when I touched a butterfly's wing and it didn't fly away. How serenity claimed me on a hot summer's day. I may not have had the fabulous, fun-filled vacation hoped for. But this simple unexpected experience made this one summer I'll never forget.