My Trip to ... The Butterfly Exhibit

by Lizzet

Well, my experience at the butterfly exhibit (at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) was very exciting and it made me appreciate many things. I personally felt that this trip was truly the first group trip I was a part of and actually enjoyed. When we were waiting in line I remember thinking “Ugh! I don’t like this.” I was saying that because I was stuck in this thought where I kept repeating to myself: “I’m not going to have fun and be happy with these people.” But when we were in the little room where we were given rules and

instructions my eyes kept wondering over to the window where you could see all the butterflies inside the big bubble flying everywhere. I was actually excited, I thought to myself “Okay forget that, I’m going to smile my butt off and enjoy this because this looks amazing and so beautiful!”

When we walked inside I was amazed by so much beauty, I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I was in there … Well, when no one was looking, that is. I was looking at this one butterfly that was my favorite: it was black and blue and had little marks on its wings that looked like eyes those of which were staring right back at me. I thought “Wow, nature is such a beautiful thing.” While I was walking around looking and studying each butterfly species there was a moment where I stopped and looked up and saw everyone else enjoying themselves, laughing with each other, and just being who they are. At the beginning I was scared to smile and have fun but, when I saw that everyone else was I lost that fear. That was where I decided that I shouldn’t and wouldn’t be scared of my feelings showing anymore. That was the last time I deprived myself of being part of the group, of my special “Family.”

That’s as far as it goes for the exciting part. For the appreciating part it was a bigger than life thought for me that just popped in my head while observing all the different butterflies. I was looking at a bunch of different butterflies that were all just standing on the wall together and I thought, “They are all so different in many ways but alike in one: that they are all beautiful in their own different way.” Now throughout my life I’ve always seen myself as the ugly little duckling, always hoping that soon I’ll turn into that beautiful swan that I’ve always wanted to be. But when I thought this the first thing I thought right after was, “How did God create such marvelous creatures?” and following, I thought “I guess that’s how we all are as well. Every one of us are like butterflies, oh so different, yet, all beautiful in our own way.”

It’s just sad that not all might appreciate me and see mine as well, but I guess it’s up to me to prove those who don’t wrong. To show that when I become that swan all the pain and sadness I went through while being a caterpillar before becoming a butterfly was a shame because people missed out on who I’m going to be. There’s a quote that in a way ties in with the last thought I had: “Twenty years from now, no one will care what you wore, who you hung out with, how you looked or what you did, but who you became.”