Back in July Sheila and I came across this Ringlet butterfly on a walk near Drum Castle. A relative newcomer to the North East, it used to only come as far north as southern Scotland. Another moment of wonder at the extraordinary beauty of the apparently ordinary.
Then there is the Red Admiral, apparently doing well this summer despite the wet climate. The combination of resilience and fragility in these lovely creatures has the interesting effect of lifting the spirits towards the same carefree happenstance of enjoying whatever comes wherever we go.
There's a pivotal scene in Patch Adams where Robin Williams' character, facing expulsion from medical school flirts on the edge of a cliff wondering if he would, should, could jump. And a butterfly lands on his hand, triggering a conversation with whatever God does or doesn't work in or through or against the ins and outs of human experience. It's a telling reminder of how random loveliness subverts our cynicism and helps us re-engage with a world that has hurt us.
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