In early September my husband John and I packed our R-pod camper and headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a week’s respite.

Answering the inner nudge for rest, time to breathe in lots of fresh air, feast our eyes on nature, and spend quality time together were the priorities for the time away.

Arriving late Saturday afternoon we settled into the KOA campground just a few minutes outside of the city anticipating our first adventure on Monday’s to visit Falls Park.

The park covers 123 acres and on average about 7,400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the course of the Falls each second. 

When we arrived, I could hardly wait to get out of the van. The views were breathtaking! (I created an album here if you’d like to see photos.)

But it was what I discovered about an ‘unusual butterfly’ while there that brought some insight I felt so fitting especially given the year we’ve all had so far.

South Dakota known for buffalo has given them the unique name of ‘Monarch of the Plains’ dedicated to the buffalo that roamed the falls in the 1800s.

I couldn’t help but ponder the symbology of this. It brought me back to revisiting the saying from the Native American’s, “Be the Buffalo!” 

This means that if you ever have the chance to observe a buffalo in a storm you will note that they don’t run from it, but stand and face it head-on.

Our world has certainly been going through a storm these last few months. It’s been an opportunity to face our fears, lean into our resilient nature, and reinstall within us that we can endure most anything.

Thinking about buffalo as the ‘monarch of the plains’ I see this as when we endure any storm in our lives and when the storm passes and in the time of reflection we realize we have transformed. We are no longer the same but changed, and better for what we’ve learned.

I was grateful for the opportunity to stand beside this buffalo statue as I felt the powerful lesson of this seep into my being.

May we all continue to see the storm as opportunities to strengthen our wings and give flight to all we hold true in our hearts.

xo,

Barbara

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