Breaking Out of The Zone

I took a break from editing this morning to go for a quick run. I get some of my best ideas while running – my brain seems to recharge itself when I get myself into that zone. On my way back, I ran over a little bridge on a busy highway –


I like that route because it’s beautiful, even though cars are whizzing by me the whole way. I happened to look down as I ran (I usually am focusing on something in the distance to get into that zone…) and I saw a little broken butterfly lying dead on the sidewalk. He was most likely the victim of a windshield or bumper, from the looks of him. This made me so sad. I stopped short, turned around, and scooped him up. I ran all the way back with him, determined to put him to rest in a special plant I have on my back porch, instead of letting him lie on a busy, dirty sidewalk, getting stomped on by runners like me.

Now my brain was really racing. I thought about how animals, people, and even whole cultures end up sacrificing themselves sometimes in the face of technology and progress. I thought about our story and how the Cinque Terre is being helped by technology and progress on one hand, but being exploited by it on another. And how many people would like to take advantage of this area to promote their own agendas (and money hunger).

Don’t get me wrong – our film’s story is a truly inspiring one. Despite all the obstacles thrown at the Cinque Terre in the fight to save itself, our story shows the vision and insight of some of the people who know how to use technology and progress for the right reasons and want to do everything in their power to preserve their culture and heritage. As long as there are people like this in the world, and people like you who will hopefully break out of your own “zone” for a minute to stop your car and rescue a turtle from a busy highway as it tries to make it to the other side, or will save a nest of terrified baby birds as fireworks go off on Independence Day, or will get involved in an organization that is “greening” up the planet, or will help harvest grapes in a centuries-old vineyard, or will do whatever drives your passion to bring some good energy into the world, then we have hope for the future.

I swear, as I went to my back yard to lay my poor, battered butterfly to rest, a beautiful, healthy, intact twin butterfly landed for a second right in front of me, as if to say, “Do you see me? I am right here, to take my brother’s place. We will go on!”

Fly high, friends!

Krista