A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my encounter with the yellow butterflies. I waxed poetic about metamorphosis and dreamed of the day I’d break from my cocoon and take flight.

And then I met CJ.

CJ Casciotta is a Nashville-based author who spoke at a creative conference I recently attended. He challenged my thoughts with his Myth of Metamorphosis.

No one is promised the beauty of a butterfly, but we are all promised the wonder — the weirdness of the caterpillar.

The more I listened, the more I realized he was describing “cocooning” as an act of bravery! Sitting with your thoughts in a dark space, focusing inward and sorting to seek understanding, feeling comfortable being uncomfortable — this is not for the faint of heart.

And he’s right! The story of one transformation is boring. We as wonderful, curious humans have story after story tucked away in our liviting lives. I can speak to the impact of loss, my life-long struggles with body image that led to an eating disorder – even the ebb and flow of entrepreneur life compounded by the fear of, what CJ calls, “Same”. I can speak to diet culture and the lies of social media comparison.

And, yes, I can speak to the journey through it all – the dark corners, the contrast of light and shadows, and how bits of hope catch my eye like specks of dust dancing in the sunlight that peeks through window blinds. I feel like I’m taking my first deep breath and big stretch of the year, awakening to how beautiful and precious life really is.

There is joy in the journey of process over perfection.