“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

My Thoughts: 

As Nathaniel mentions butterfly there is couple things I want to mention. First of all, many people I come across that have a butterfly tattoo never really think about the transition the butterfly went through. What I mean is the part before it turns to a butterfly.

Metamorphosis

This is the journey from start to finish, from caterpillar to butterfly. However, my main focus in this process is the Pupa. Pupa is the transition part or as I like to call the middle part of the process. It starts as caterpillar, then turns to pupa, then it becomes adult butterfly.

However, what I want to mention about tattoos is that nobody thinks about the pupa. Everyone always gets a butterfly tattoo, but no one gets a pupa tattoo. Personally, I think Pupa is the tattoo I would want as that is the unknown part. Why am I saying unknown? Because it is just not clear how it transforms into a butterfly. Yes, as simple as it may seem when it is a butterfly, but the transition that takes place in the pupa is unclear.

For this reason, pupa is something that stand out for me.

Are Butterflies Really Happy 

Second, I want to mention that I’m a bit confused of why Nathaniel says, “happiness is a butterfly.” I mean, why is a butterfly a sign of happiness?

To me, being happy is very important and something many people lack. Yes, it seems easy, but when you have challenges headed your way, being happy can be hard. For this reason, I like to say just think about the Metamorphosis cycle of the butterfly, and feel a bit released. It is a real challenge turning to a butterfly. Therefore, be grateful and remember to be happy from your heart.