So… I got off at the wrong train station yesterday. I was coming home rom a work function and was riding an earlier train than normal. When I had first embarked onto the train at Penn Station, I was feeling happy and elated from the events of that day. However, one work email from a client turned my day upside down. When I read it on the train, that positive vibe I was feeling was crushed by one email and I was feeling depressed and angry. It’s crazy how one email can do that. And to top it all off, being lost in my thoughts and fear and sadness, I ended up getting off at the wrong train station. At first I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been. I knew I was supposed to get off at the next train station but I was so absorbed in my negative thoughts that I completely forgot.
So I called my husband, who luckily was on the train right behind me so I decided I would just wait for him in the parking lot and wallow in my misery. However, instead of just standing around checking Facebook and more work emails that might make me go crazy, I decided to walk. I realized I was near the Massapequa Preserve so I decided to go wait there instead of staring out aimlessly at the cars racing down Sunrise Highway.
As soon as I walked down the narrow rocky path into the preserve, I felt like I could breathe again. The sparkling lake welcomed me along with birds soaring through the blue-gray sky. I was an unexpected visitor entering this serene wonderland.
I found a rock along the edge of the lake and sat there gazing out upon the picturesque vista and I smelled the beautiful pink flowers that were growing along the edge of the water. I watched a monarch butterfly fluttering from one flower to the next pollinating the flowers. 
It was hypnotizing watching it in motion, and I was able to realize that the anger and frustration I had been feeling started melting away. That email was not the end of the world. True, I was still angry and frustrated, but I realized that my day job was not my true passion in life. What I needed was to stay inspired and creative. To remember my dream and remind myself that my true calling is to be a writer. To take moments like this and take a step back from the non-stop routine and craziness of life and just enjoy these beautiful moments, being one with nature and myself. There aren’t many times you can get “ME” time, but it is so important to find time for yourself and not get so wrapped up into the routine of life. It is in those moments of introspection that you once again realize what makes you happy, what your dreams are and what you are striving to get out of life. 
And as I sat there hanging out with my new friend, the butterfly, it was as if I was meant to have found this spot in this place and time. And it made me realize that maybe I was meant to get off at the wrong station… to remind myself that I can take a negative situation and turn it into something positive. That this beautiful memory will help me in those dark times… that despite the unhappiness and fear there will be a light, or a butterfly, to brighten up my day. May you always find your butterflies (and your smile) as well!