True Story of Courage and Love (LV/ENG)

True Story of Courage and Love
by: David L. Kuzminski


Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a water puddle ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water and mud. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. I was startled as well as unhurt, despite having been struck four or five times already. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of attacking more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings in front of me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing, but I was unhurt, it was funny, and I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He rammed me in the chest with his head and body, striking me over and over again with all his might, still to no avail. For a second time, I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged me again. I was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn't sure what to do, other than to retreat a third time. After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate's sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety justified it. I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car.
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly's courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for. 

 LV Tauriņa uzbrukums! Paties stāsts par Drosmi un īstu Mīlestību!

 Ejot pa taciņu cauri kādam mežam Džordžijā, es ieraudzīju, ka tālāk priekšā ir peļķe, tāpēc pagriezos, lai apietu tai apkārt pa to takas daļu, kura nebija slapja un dubļaina. Tikko biju sasniedzis peļķi, man pēkšņi uzbruka! Es pat nepaguvu aizstāvēties, jo uzbrukums bija pilnīgi negaidīts.

    Es biju tikpat izbijies, cik neievainots, kaut arī biju dabūjis triecienu jau 4 vai 5 reizes. Es pakāpos soli atpakaļ un mans uzbrucējs pārstāja man uzbrukt. Tā vietā, lai man uzbruktu, viņš graciozi lidinājās gaisā.

    Tauriņa spārni manā priekšā. Ja es būtu ticis ievainots, tas neliktos aizraujoši, bet tas bija nesāpīgi, pat smieklīgi. Un es smējos. Kā nekā, man bija uzbrucis tauriņš!

    Kad biju beidzis smieties, es pakāpos soli uz priekšu. Mans uzbrucējs atkal metās man virsū.

Viņš sita man pa krūtīm ar savu galvu un ķermeni, triecoties manī atkal un atkal no visa sava spēka, kaut arī tas neko nelīdzēja.

    Nākamajā reizē es atkāpos, kamēr mans uzbrucējs atguva spēkus. Atkal es centos paiet uz priekšu. Viņš atkal uzbruka. Es tiku dauzīts atkal un atkal. Man nebija citas izvēles kā trešoreiz atkāpties. Jo tas, ka kādam uzbrūk tauriņš, nepavisam nav ikdienas notikums. Šoreiz es atkāpos vairākus soļus, lai paskatītos uz to no malas. Arī mans uzbrucējs atkāpās un nolaidās uz zemes.

    Tajā brīdī es sapratu, kāpēc šis mazais uzbrucējs mani pirms dažiem mirkļiem mani dauzīja. Viņam bija dzīvesbiedre un viņa mira. Viņa bija blakus peļķei, pie kuras viņš nolaidās. Sēžot viņai tuvu klāt, viņš atvēra un atkal sakļāva savus spārnus, it kā viņu vēdinātu.

    Es varēju tikai apbrīnot šī tauriņa mīlestību un drosmi rūpēs par viņa otro pusīti. Viņš bija apņēmies uzbrukt man savas otrās pusītes drošības dēļ, kaut arī viņa neapšaubāmi grasījās mirt un es biju tik milzīgs. Viņš to visu darīja tikai tāpēc, lai dotu viņai vēl dažus papildus dzīves mirkļus, kamēr es būtu bijis tik neuzmanīgs, ka būtu viņai uzkāpis.

    Tagad es zināju, kāpēc un par ko viņš cīnījās. Man bija tikai viena izvēle. Es uzmanīgi gāju apkārt peļķei uz otru takas pusi, kaut arī tā bija pāris centimetrus plata un ļoti dubļaina. Viņa drosme, uzbrūkot kādam, kurš ir tūkstoš reižu lielāks un smagāks par viņu, lai aizstāvētu savu dzīvesdraugu, to bija pelnījusi. Es nevarēju darīt neko citu, lai viņu atalgotu, kā vien iet pa ceļa grūto pusi. Šajos pēdējos mirkļos es atstāju viņus divatā, kaut arī vēlāk, kad tiku līdz savai mašīnai, dabūju tīrīt no kurpēm dubļus.

    Kopš tā brīža es vienmēr esmu centies atcerēties šī tauriņa drosmi, kad savā dzīvē sastapos ar šķēršļiem. Es izmantoju tauriņa drosmi kā iedvesmu tam, lai atcerētos, ka par labām lietām ir vērts cīnīties riskējot.