Aspire Higher

When you’re a caterpillar you start your life moving slowly along your path. You climb trees, eat greens, make new friends and make some enemies. In this journey to learn about this small life you must discover who you are.

First on the ground you find someone like yourself, he is brown, dirty and chewing on dirt, you taste the dirt to find it is bitter and unsatisfying. How does this creature so much like yourself live such a different life. He crawls on the ground, hides when it rains and never leaves the confines of the earth. 

You approach and ask “Who am I, Am I like you?” 

The Earth Worm replies, “Though you look similar to me you are not who I am, you must travel higher.” He looks up at the tree in our path.

You begin to climb the tree and on your way you find a creature also like yourself, only slimy and slow, constantly moving from home to home. He eats greens like you but looks nothing like you. “Who are you, Do you know who I am?” The Snail Replies, “Though we enjoy the same foods, you are not like me, you must travel higher.”

I quickly move on to find another creature with a hard shell, munching on the leaves. He pays me no mind. He quickly turns and grabs his leaf and quickly starts to move down the tree. 

I ask him “Sir, you are not like me, but maybe you can help me?” 

The Beetle snaps “Though I am colorful and strong I am not like you, you must climb higher, and bother me no more!”

I look up and only see more leaves and no one who looks like me. Who Am I? I move higher up passing others who tell me to move on, go higher. Who is there to find if I continue to travel higher? I am tired from my climb, when I spot another who looks similar to me, I move towards him.

“Who are you, Are we alike?”

The Caterpillar’s eyes widen “You are like me, I thought I was alone! We are Caterpillars.”

I ask him, “Why have we climbed so high?”

He replied saying “I was told to keep going higher; I took it on faith that I was headed in the right direction. I feel that we must be here for a reason.”

I look around at where we are. Am I supposed to be here? I then feel that I must create a safe place for me to sleep. I look over at my Companion; he seems to have the same impression. We begin making our sleeping pods, brown like the tree and well hidden; when they are nearly complete we climb in and take a nap.

Who knows how long we remained in our safe homes. But when we awake the Pods begin to crack around us, it is time to arise. The sun is rising through the trees and the air begins to heat. I climb out and my body feels different, larger, and full of life. I look down at myself and I am full of Color, Much more color then before. I also have something “New” and strange protruding from my sides. Who am I, Now? My new limbs are heavy and wet. 

My new friend looks at me in wonder.

“Beautiful” He gazes at me with wonder “This is what we were meant to be.”

I lay out on the leaf next to him. “What are we? What is our purpose in life?”

He looks at me and replies “Did you ever think that maybe we were created to make this world beautiful, to bring color the world around us. Maybe this life was meant to inspire, that is why were told to us faith and “Aspire Higher.” And we choose to reach for the sky regardless of the fact that we didn't know what kind of life we would find.”

He was right; I could feel that he was right. I was meant to fly and soar making the world around me beautiful and mysterious! We had a power that no other creature has. To bring Wonder to the world!