Day #8 "Just a spoonful of honey . . ."

If you approach a honeybee hive on a warm morning, you're liable to see a whole bunch of bees flying in circles around it. These bees are memorizing what the hive looks like from many different angles. They fly fairly close to it, then in ever widening circles, just like Rilke, who said he lived his life that way. By studying the hive in relation to the landmarks around it - a tree, a large shrub, a shed, the corner of the garage - they lessen the chance of their getting lost when they go out on their foraging flights.

Those flights, during which they collect the nectar and pollen that supports the hive through the winter, are the last of the jobs they perform for the hive. In its entire life cycle, a single honeybee produces one-twelfth of a teasoon of honey. That's right. It takes a dozen bees to create the spoonful of honey you put in your tea this morning.

Let's hear it for the honeybees!

592 days to go in this journey. Wonder if I'll make it?

Beeatitude for Day #8

            Blessed are they who appreciate bees, for they are a blessing to us.