Today, Chris, Mel and I attended the Annual Biology Butterfly Show at Carleton University in Ottawa. The free show has been open to the public by donation since it was created 25 years ago. Knowing that tickets to the show would go quickly, Mel monitored Carleton's website and pounced as soon as the tickets became available through Eventbrite.

We spent about 15 minutes inside the small, very warm greenhouse—surrounded by lush plants and colourful butterflies. My favourite was the beautiful but elusive Blue Morpho. It appeared and disappeared so quickly that I wasn't able to catch a photo of it. I've included a bonus visual tonight presenting a montage of photos from the Butterfly Show.

For those unable to make the show, Carleton's Biology Department has several resources available online, including learning resources geared for younger audiences, videos on the university's biology program, a spotlight on butterflies featured in the show, and questions and answers about butterflies.

Now on to this week's Saturday Synopsis.

A friend said to me this morning, "This is not like anything you have tackled before but if you take your time mentally and breathe through it before you know it you will be home in your pyjamas." And that's exactly what has happened.

"Expect the world to be a beautiful place, and it will be. Find beauty in the small details, and the big ones, too."

— Cyndie Spiegel, A Year of Positive Thinking

A wise friend responded to last night's update on my recovery from chemotherapy with this: "This is not a linear journey and patience is probably as important as any other virtue you have....and you have plenty." In his compassionate way, I think he was calling my bluff, reading lack of patience into my most recent posts. However, whether he was being kind or observant, he was right. I have been impatient as of late. I am accustomed to being healthy. By and large, my body has always done what I needed it to do for me: work long hours, carry heavy loads, not get sick. But now my body is sick. It needs rest. It can't respond to my every whim. And that bums me out. Perhaps this is what my family doctor meant when she said, "It's OK to mourn the loss of your perfect health."

"When difficult times arise, remind yourself that life will go back to normal, even if it's a new normal. Whatever you are experiencing will eventually pass. This truth doesn't diminish what is happening, but it allows you to find the light at the end of the tunnel by recognizing that time will keep moving forward. And in time, you will be okay once again."

— Cyndie Spiegel, A Year of Positive Thinking

"It turns out that actually most of these world-class performers had a first coach, or a first teacher, who made the activity fun. If you excel at something, and you experience mastery, it often does make it more fun and enjoyable to do it. We’ve overlooked the reverse effect, which is that often interest precedes the development of talent. It’s having a coach or teacher who really makes something exciting to be involved in that leads you to often put in the practice necessary to become an expert at it."

— Adam Grant

"Sometimes being understanding is more important than being right. Sometimes we need not a brilliant mind that speaks but a patient heart that listens. Not keen eyes that always see faults but open arms that accept. Not a finger that points out mistakes but gentle hands that lead."

— Author unknown

Today, pick one thing to remove from your life. Maybe it's taking responsibility for organizing family gatherings, or spending more time on social media than you'd like, or listening to naysayers. Be deliberate about which activities serve you, and slowly remove those that don't.

The last question the host of Desert Island Discs asks each guest is this: If you could save just one disc from the waves, which of the eight songs would you choose? For me, it would have to be "I Am Woman"—a song that embodies gratitude ("look how much I've gained"), determination ("if I have to I can do anything") and self-esteem ("I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman").

— Erin Hanson

Teachers and others in the education field, such as librarians, can help us learn facts and figures, acquire research skills, and figure out what we're good at and where we might want to go in life. But they can also teach us about empathy, tenderness, inclusion, and many other attributes that will help make us better people.