Knit Stars | August 16, 2026
🧶What if you fly?
BY SHELLEY BRANDER
How much do you know about dragonflies?
The way I look at dragonflies has changed a lot over the years. When I was a kid, I remember being at the lake and seeing them mating. There always seemed to be two stuck together (ewwww gross🤣).
Then when I moved to the beach, I noticed there would be a week or so every year where they seemed to swarm. I’d walk out on the boardwalk at dusk and they were everywhere, filling the sky. It was so magical.
But then a few days later, one by one I would start to find them on my balcony, dying or already gone. They were beautiful and almost prehistoric looking, with their gossamer wings.
And then a few weeks ago, my friend and yoga teacher Shannon shared what she had recently learned about dragonflies.
Did you know the dragonfly lives underwater for most of its life?
As an aquatic nymph, it breathes through gills and waits, molting up to 17 times for up to five years. Five years.
When it finally climbs out of the water onto a stick or rock, it splits its skeleton, pumps fluid into its wings, and finally flies off – to hunt, mate, and live its best life. Often, it’s only for a few short weeks. But oh, what a glorious time!
So what does all of this have to do with you and your creativity?
Sometimes, it can feel like we are underwater, often for what seems like ages. It can feel like there is no way out.
But if you keep trusting…and if, when the moment comes, you take that chance and climb out of the water…a truly magical world can be waiting on the other side. An existence you didn’t even know was possible.
So whatever you may be wrestling with, keep breathing. Keep making time for your creativity. Keep trying new things. And know that, no matter how long you’ve been underwater, there could be a glorious new life right around the corner.
xoxo,
