Tag: monarch butterfly

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Quotes from The Lombardi Rules

I recently read The Lombardi Rules by Vince Lombardi, Jr. While the book was a short and easy read, I found a few good quotes. The book is intended to guide new leaders.

“Most important, character is a series of decisions and choices that you make as you grow and mature. Character is not something that is handed to you; it must be forged through years of hard work and discipline. It is the culmination of years of choosing to act one way rather than another, of choosing truth over deception, respect over arrogance, compassion over cruelty.”  (Pg.18)

While at work, I have told people that character takes a long time to build but destroying it is fast.

Monarch butterfly

I chose a butterfly to signify the journey of building character. A butterfly starts as a caterpillar and becomes a butterfly in secret just as we build character outside of the eyes of others.

“Great achievements require courage, determination, drive, and a willingness to pay the price.” (Pg. 35)

I question whether I am willing to pay the price. I prefer not to work overtime at work. I give my all when at work but I rarely stay late. I want to become a lead for a small work group some day.

“Even if you don’t feel you’re getting the visibility you deserve, continue to hone your skills and demonstrate your competence. Years of obscurity gave Lombardi the chance to improve his technique.” (Pg. 70-71)

This quote makes me think of the value of being faithful.

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My summer adventure

This spring, my local park (Parkview Park) got a grant to install a butterfly enclosure. I started visiting it almost daily.

Inside the enclosure, there is a poster showing the life cycle of Monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterfly life cycle

I enjoyed seeing these stages in real life this summer.

Here is an egg on a milkweed leaf (I hope). I had trouble finding them and sometimes wondered if it was white sap from the plant on it. So, I put them into the plastic bowl and hoped.

The next stage is a caterpillar. They start off very tiny and eat only milkweed. As time goes on, they get bigger.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

When they are ready, they hang themselves upside down in a J shape.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

I wanted to see a caterpillar make the chrysalis but never got to.The chrysalises started out light green and slowly developed some gold sparkles as time went by. Then, they become transparent with the butterfly visible inside.

Monarch butterfly in a transparent chrysalis.

When it got this far, I knew that I’d see a butterfly in a day or two.

Monarch butterfly awaiting release

Here is a butterfly that landed in the butterfly garden after release.

Two Monarch butterflies on flowers

The day after I attended my first release gathering, the sound of the girl saying “stretch” every time the butterfly opened its wings ran through my mind for hours at work.

Later in the summer, Lisa Salb began sticking numbered stickers to their wings. If other people find them, they can enter them online and track their path. I hope some fly to Mexico and I hear about it.