THE ENERGIZER BUNNY

I found the energizer bunny in a small farm town near Karlovac, Croatia. He is the father of my hostess on a honey bee farm and about my age. Up at the crack of dawn he worked the bee farm until mid afternoon, then removed his bee clothing and worked on the new indoor bathroom on the farm until dusk. Barely stopping to eat. I on the other hand, had to have a few naps a day.

I had the opportunity to work with Sanja and her family processing the 55 hives during harvest. Sanya herself has traveled the world and is an bee expert not only in the life of bees, but she also has a deep perspective on how bees can influence our lives and make it better- and I am not speaking about eating honey.

Bees work together supporting the leader “queen bee” in what ever task is best for the community. No one compares or argues, they just do what needs to be done. The queen mates just once in her life and can lay up to 2,000 eggs A DAY, yes you read that correctly, a day.   The worker bees stay busy caring for them and feeding them. Incidentally, the worker bees only live for about 30-40 days, so they make the most of it. Reminds us that we have a relatively short time here on earth and to do our best and not waste time with regrets, just keep moving.

As the queen ages she lays less and less eggs. And then the community has to make the decision to “elect” a new queen. When that election is over they all do their best to support her and the hive.  

Sanja told me that one day she forgot to put one of the frames back into the hive. Each hive holds about 10 frames. The bees did not whine or fret, they did not waste any time waiting for the frame to be returned, they got busy and build a fresh wild comb under the lid.  The bees reminded her not to wait for the perfect moment or perfect person to shape your world – just go for it and craft it yourself.

In the spring the queen bee is working extra hard and sometimes attempts to enter another hive to get some extra honey.  Most of the time the guard bee will run them off.  The queen bee is much larger than a worker bee, but the guard bee proves that even if you are smaller than your opponent trust your gut and stay passionate and on course.

 In the winter, cold and less flowers to obtain nectar the bees stick closely together and keep each other warm. They look out for each other as we all should.

The key to using nature as a life philosophy and a therapy is to recognize that we also are a part of nature and to enter into that frame of mind  and not try to become a master over nature.

Working on this honey bee farm was such a wonderful life experience. I learned so much about bees and walked away with a new perspective on life that they gave me. The family was wonderful, Sanja’s mother cooked delicious Croatian dishes daily for me to try. Many family and friends stopped by to greet me.

I also received a gift from the bees on my birthday. In the evening, they swarm a bit getting ready for the night. Several flew in my hair and buzzed around. One flew up my nose and in trying to get it out it stung me.  Did it hurt – well yes, but I felt honored it thought my nose sweet enough to explore.

For more insight about bees and how they influence our life check out Sanja’s Instagram  at _s_a_n_a_k__

Beautiful Creatures!!

Note the pollen on his legs

Sanja with Croatian goulash and the best apple pie/cake I have ever had!

Kissing or fighting – sometimes it looks the same!!

Me and the Energizer Bunny