Coincidental Changes

Photo Jennifer E. Miller 2018

Coincidental Changes

By,

Jennifer E. Miller

Last week, we lost Scrunchy, our disabled butterfly. I supposed you may be wondering how we acquired a pet butterfly in the first place. We raised ten caterpillars into butterflies (ordered from an insect company). They grow and spin into their cocoons, then finally emerge into beautiful butterflies. The butterflies are fed fruit or nectar and stay in a cylinder-shaped netted habitat/enclosure until release day.

One of the ten butterflies unfortunately didn’t develop correctly; she had deformed wings and was unable to fly like the rest of her friends. I called the insect company and asked what to do, because it was clear she wouldn’t survive in nature. They said to keep it in the netted enclosure for its life span, which is about two to four weeks. That’s how we acquired a disabled pet butterfly, who was promptly named Scrunchy.

Scrunchy at bottom after hatching from cocoon. Photo Jennifer E. Miller 2018

Gia was excited about this. We no longer have any pets and Scrunchy was a welcomed addition to our otherwise animal-less household. Although, it was sad to release the nine other “sibling” butterflies and leave Scrunchy behind.

Scrunchy’s habitat hung in Gia’s room at night, and during the day I moved it around the house so Scrunchy could look out the window or soak up some sunlight. A slice of watermelon or kiwi, sprinkled with nectar, was provided to her (we found she ate better with this option). Fresh flowers adorned her enclosure daily. Depending which flowers were blooming in my garden, she got peonies, lavender, or day lilies. I snapped some large hosta leaves, too, creating a playground, so to say, for Scrunchy. She liked to hide underneath the leaves or hang upside-down.

Over the weeks, we discovered and tuned in to Scrunchy’s personality. On nice days, I brought her outside to enjoy the sun and air from the safety of her enclosure. If Scrunchy was in the sunlight she ate better. If it was hot temperatures, we made sure that the enclosure didn’t sit directly on a hot surface like the deck or patio table; otherwise, she’d bounce all over the place in a panic.

Bouncing was just one alternative to flying. Another was climbing and Scrunchy liked climbing the habitat’s netting. I think she figured out the zipper is where her food entered because she frequently hung out there. Sometimes she’d climb too high and fall, landing on her back and wiggling her legs in the air until she flipped back over. Who knew a tiny butterfly could pack so much personality.

Time to explain the coincidental change part the title references. I’m ready to mix things up a bit, and started a new job. Truthfully, job searching was scary as hell because I’ve been out of the workforce for nearly ten years now. Would anyone want to hire me? What skills could a stay-home bring to any position? Would my volunteer experience be enough to promote myself in the job market? Even as a writer, resume writing is difficult for me because I basically have to brag about myself on paper, which is uncomfortable. I don’t put myself on a pedestal or above others, but in a competitive market I supposed that’s what one must do.

I put in seven applications to various places and secured one interview with a company who eventually hired me. Ironically, it’s a disability service, assisting developmentally disabled adults live their lives. Coincidentally, we were nurturing a disabled butterfly.

Since starting the job two weeks ago, I’ve met some of the clients when they come into the office with their staff member. They all have their own quirks and personalities, just like Scrunchy. One woman is usually happy and excited when she walks in. She communicates verbally but I can’t always understand what she says. However, she understands me so I talk to her. It was funny, the other day, when she saw someone eating pizza. She frowned and pointed to it with a grumpy face like “I want that, too.” Who can blame her?

The company gives these disabled adults a chance at a normal life. They in turn took a chance and hired me—someone with no current work experience—and I’m grateful. I don’t have experience working with disabled adults, and I find this sector of society interesting to learn. Perhaps Scrunchy’s purpose was to prepare me for this opportunity.