lessons from the bees

Sometimes folks think (wrongly) I am very brave for beeing a keeper of the bees. Sometimes I get very scared and very overwhelmed. Usually this happens when I have the hive dismantled, the smoker has gone out and there are shitty amazons buzzing in my face, their shitty sisters have filled every nook, cranny and lid space with honey and crazy comb which I have broken getting the hive apart, which has dripped honey everywhere and innocent victims are stuck fast in stickiness and I have murdered zillions of their sisterfolk because a heavy box full of honey slipped and squished everyone who was dancing on the rim of the box below instead of being down eating honey where they would have been if the smoker hadn't gone out again and there is sweat dripping in my eyes and my heart is pounding ............................

Lessons from today:

• The idea that a hive mat will prevent bees from building comb up inside the lid is complete rubbish.
• Bee tending can be scary
• Those boxes full of honey are &%#%ing heavy.
• Bee tending is a DEEP INTENSE opportunity for spiritual practice - for staying calm when things are quickly turning to chaos and angry stingy custard all at once - it demands PRESENCE and deep calm breaths but not on the bees right NOW or you will completely %^&#* it up and be stung a zillion times.
• bee keeping brings you to your knees with the amazing majestic beautifulness and forgivingness of nature.
• I mourn every inadvertent death from my clumsiness and lack of skill and strength.
• I am humbled because many girls died today, and I didn't get stung once in retaliation, even-though I throughly deserved it.
• Sometimes I think I am too chicken to be a bee herder.

So, I managed to move a full box of honey to the top of the hive, insert a clearer board, put in an extra box and make some steps towards getting all the crazy comb out from under the lid.

Hopefully all the bees will have moved down through the clearer board overnight, and I can go back in tomorrow and take off that top box of honey..........