I am approaching the end of my journey.  It has been a long 3 years.  Very long. 

  
I am tired and cranky from the struggle to travel this far.  Childish cries of “are we there yet” ring through my head.  I’ve been on the road  so long that I find that I can no longer truly remember the beginning or the stops along the way. 

A new WLS friend of mine responded to my cries of discouragement by sharing a story about her brother.

 
Brother went to apply for a job.  When he got to the job site, there was a long line and he just got in the line along with everyone else.  He didn't think about all the other people who were in the line; he was just confident that he would be one of the ones picked for the position. 

While waiting in the line after about 30 minutes, he had gotten to roughly the middle of the line.  The fellow behind him had gotten frustrated and was about to leave.  Brother stopped him and said, "Man, wait a minute, look back behind you and just check out how far back we were 30 minutes ago.  You have waited in the line this long, so why you going to leave now?" 

When the fellow looked back, he realized that the line behind him was very, very long and, much to his amazement, he had actually come a far way in the line already.  Then Brother told him, “Look to the front of the line.”  The fellow did.

When the fellow looked to the front of the line, he realized that they really did not have that far to go.  But he was so busy thinking of how long it had taken him to get where he was and thinking about how far he had to go in the line, that he never stopped to look back and see how far he had come. 

“I don't know what has happened along your journey to discourage you, but don't let it.  You have made it to the front of the line and there is not much journey left.  Don't sweat the small stuff honey, in fact, don't even sweat the big stuff.  You have come too darned far to get discouraged on your last bit of journey.”

Man, Janice is SO right!  I’ve been focused so long and hard about where I am in my journey that I failed to see how close I was to the end, and I’ve failed to look back and see how far I’ve come.

I’ve been discouraged when other WLS friends catch up with me, pass me, reach the end of the journey before me.  I’ve worried that I’ll let people down if I don’t make the intended end of my journey or that I’ll find the end of my journey leaves me in a place I did not mean to go.

  
Instead, I think I need to heed Janice’s advice.  Stop fretting about where I am and how long it’s taken me to get there… or how many people got to the goal before me.  Instead, I should smile and be thrilled that the journey is almost over.  And be PROUD that I stuck the journey out as long as I have and that I’ve come as far as I have.

  
This is MY journey.  I cannot compare myself to others.  Only I know the exact road I’ve traveled.   Yes, I have many wonderful traveling companions along the way, and for that I am grateful.  However, if they travel the road differently, it does not mean that I have failed.

THE CHANGE 
(or BUTTERFLY WINGS) 
by Cathy Spencer

Imagine if you will
A chubby little caterpillar 
Sitting on a twig 
Searching out his next meal 
Leaves! Oh Yum!

Spend the day eating 
One delectable leafy delight 
And another… and another 
And a hundred more
Food is his focus 
How happy to sit and eat 
Plodding along 
Day in and day out

Suddenly a change 
Deep inside 
Something is wrong! 
No choice, must hide 
He must wrap, envelope 
Himself into 
A protective covering 
Into the cocoon he goes

Spinning! Toiling! Agony! 
Circumstances for a new work 
The hardest thing he has done 
Making changes to his body 
Giving up his yummy leaves 
The change hurts! 
It’s hard! 
Why can’t he go on 
Eating his leaves? 
Lying around 
On his twigs?

But suddenly he realizes 
Not just a protective covering 
But a sheltered state of GROWTH! 
The battle gets easier 
The changes have come
It’s finally time 
To emerge 
Not from cocoon—from CHRYSALIS!

Finally the initial fight 
Is over 
He is reborn! 
Emerging, Reaching 
Out he comes 
Into the light, the warmth 
He is reborn!

A Beautiful Butterfly 
Has emerged 
To fly into the world 
Daintily he goes 
To new and wonderful places 
Attempting new tasks 
Things impossible to him before 
The journey was hard 
The change difficult 
But the fight was well worth it 
He is a BUTTERFLY!
…He has the wings to prove it. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So Ladies and Gents, not bat wings, not wrinkles, not saggy arms.  Spread those Butterfly wings and Fly!