I've always had an interest in butterflies (lepidoptera) but life got in the way over the years and my hobby fell by the wayside - like a lot of us I suppose.
While I've been off work recovering from a CABGx3 in February this year I found six little caterpillars on a kale-type plant near one of my bird tables and brought them in to feed them, allow them to fulfil their potential and stop the birdies eating them up! (I still had a little tank in the garage that I'd used to keep them in the past). Over the past hour I've had the immense privilege of watching them start to emerge from the chrysalids they'd formed and become butterflies (two so far and four to go). The process from egg, to caterpillar to butterfly still astounds me. I'll release them to flutter free this afternoon.
Now if that's not a metaphore for life after heart surgery I really don't know what is! Time to make time to resume our hobbies.....