Did you see all those cocoons?!?! (By the way, if you’re viewing this in a reader, you may need to click through to watch the video.)

Not what I expected when I followed my intuition to plant vines to cover our pergola (patio cover). In fact, when we first bought this house years ago, I envisioned the patio covered with greenery. I often have a vision for how I see things for design – not much thought about it, actually. And I certainly wasn’t thinking anything related to my intuition.

A few years of challenges and distractions kept me from moving forward on my ideas to plant vines to cover the patio.

Then one day, close to the end of last summer, I got the message loud and clear: It’s time to plant the vines.

Okay, that may sound completely odd. It did to me too. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine how to get it done with a one-year-old and a couple of businesses. My time didn’t really allow for a lot of hands on home improvement (or so I thought). I didn’t believe I had it in the budget to do it either. And to plant at the end of a growing season? Seemed crazy. And this was the conversation going back and forth in my mind.

But the message kept coming: Now’s the time. Plant the vines.

So after learning not to ignore those messages (story for another time), I pursued the idea.

In a matter of a week, I found the pots that I liked, on clearance for 75% off what I originally thought I’d be paying. My gardener installed a drip system at one heck of a deal, and the vines my intuition was telling me to plant (not all together common), were online, inexpensive and available now. To top it all off, we’d just received a small bonus that would cover the expense of the whole project. Seemed like everything lined up.

Very quickly, we realized that these vines attract butterflies. It seemed very appropriate with some of the personal and business transformations we were (and still are) going through. They say God works in mysterious ways…

Soon after, we started to see caterpillars, and then a couple cocoons. And as you can see from the video, at this point we’re swimming in them. Certainly nothing I expected…breeding butterflies.

But over the last year, I’ve seen butterflies being born at the most appropriate and significant times. Usually it’s when I need a push on a particular day, or when I’m questioning my direction and own transformation, change, new beginnings… and many times when I’m talking to other women about theirs. It’s been a gift I never expected. And yes, I do believe in signs. ;-)

Listening to your intuition can open things up in your life that you never even imagined.

Simple example, but incredibly symbolic. And this summer will be fabulous – a beautiful, green patio and butterflies filling the yard.

So, what is your intuition telling you? Are you listening? Are you following it?

{Just a quick update on this: Here’s a picture of a newborn from the morning I wrote this: ;-)]