A Butterfly on the Glass, and the Landscape Within

It’s been three months since I left New Zealand and moved to Sri Lanka. These days feel like a film played in slow motion—sometimes drenched in sunlight, other times shrouded in haze—with a three-week escape to Japan woven in between.

From the structured, familiar rhythm of developed countries to this bankrupt tropical island nation, my emotions sway like wind on a suspension bridge—uncertain, tender, sometimes fragile.

My body has adapted to the climate, but my heart still hasn’t found its place. I have so many stories to tell, yet when I try to write, it's as if my inner storage is full—like a phone with no space left—so much input, yet output becomes slow and stalled.

Yesterday morning, I lay in bed, staring blankly out the sliding glass door. At some point, a butterfly appeared and rested silently on the glass. For a moment, my heart paused with it.

I say “again” because just a few days ago, at the same time, I saw a butterfly in the same spot. Was it just a coincidence—or did it return to see me?

The butterfly on the glass was so close, yet so far. It could see me inside, and I could see it outside. We were only separated by a thin, transparent barrier.

That layer of glass mirrored my current state—having left behind the life I once knew, but not yet fully entered a new rhythm. I could see hope, but I was still waiting for the courage to step into it.

Suddenly, I got up and moved a large cluttered table into the spare room next to the bedroom, transforming it into a simple study. It felt like a ritual—a sign that I was ready to let the words flow again.

The butterfly didn’t knock, nor did it speak. Yet its presence reminded me that life’s messages are often quiet, unassuming, and unexpected. If you’re willing to see and listen, they will return—guiding you back to your inner beginning.

Perhaps this is what “Floating Life” truly means—sometimes stalled, sometimes taking a turn, even getting lost. But if you remain open, that butterfly will always return, giving you a reason to begin again.

 -To Be Continued EP022 -