Saturday 17 September 2011

Buzzing with the Bees

I remember at one point in my childhood when getting stung by either a bee, a hornet, a wasp or a queen bee became an annual tradition. I was so accustomed to the bee stinging ritual, that when it did happen, I would just calmly watch the 'buzzer' do it's thing and bizarrely, the instant pain would no longer bother me. By the 3rd time, I was a pro! Each incident happened when I least expected it and when I was busy doing something. The first was playing tag with my neighbours' kids and I ran near a rose bush. STING! The second time was on my neck, whilst I was playing double dutch in the school play yard. My 4th grade teacher said that my neck had looked like it was kissed by a vampire. How he thought that would make me feel better, I have no idea! The third time was on my elbow, when I was playing baseball at a crucial part in the game. Tied - 4 all. Full count, bases loaded, 2 out. I was about to pitch and then I got stung. What perfect timing!!! We lost the game... :( And the final time was when I was at the amusement park. I had seen a ride that I was dying to go on, and I pointed towards it in pure excitement, and guess what?!?! I got stung. I managed to somehow cross paths with a queen bee as I pointed towards the ride. I think I was more upset that I never got to go on that ride, then the fact that my forefinger had become the size of my hand.... So you can then imagine the following year, when I didn't get stung, I thought something was very wrong! But after a few years of being sting-free, the annual ritual was finally broken!

As I was walking to the gym today, I could feel more so, the last traces of another summer gone by. Leaves and acorns scattered on the ground,  and yet there were flowers still blooming, and lots of bees buzzing by me everywhere. Some would come right at me, as if they wanted to walk and hang out with me for a bit. If this was years ago when I was 10, this would've been the part when I would scream and run about in sheer panic with my hands waving wildly in the air -  but not now. They don't scare me anymore. They're actually quite harmless, and seeing as how when a bee stings, it dies shortly after, I don't think they'd really have the intention from the get go, of wanting to let their 'stinger' go... It made me think. I've had much worse 'stings' in my life. Love and heartache, to losing a family member, to the opposite end of not landing the role I wanted so badly, or when some things didn't work out the way I thought they would, or when some people you thought you knew, turn out to be total strangers. Yep, all those things can really sting. But the good news is that the sting doesn't last forever. The 'swelling' of pain eventually subsides, and the sting becomes nothing more then an irritating itch, which then finally disappears.

My folks always remind me, it's what you do after you get stung. (It's annoying how they're always right!) Revenge or bitterness are the Adam's apple. But I've been taught instead, to take the challenging option, where you learn from it. In some cases, I try and forgive myself if I've made a mistake, (sometimes it's hard to do), and promise myself never to make the same mistake again. Ever make a promise to yourself? It's the hardest thing to keep but yet it's the most important promise to keep. Letting yourself down is a cardinal sin. So I make it a point to make solemn promises to myself, which through thick or thin, I can keep and stick by. Only problem is, I made a lot of promises... I promised to never give up on myself, my dreams, my happiness and my faith that there are good people out there in this vast world, that miracles do happen, and that all of us can make a difference. As I write this, I'm thinking to myself, those are not easy promises to keep. But then I think of the bees buzzing around me today. There will always be a risk of being 'stung' and if I really wanted to, I could let them sting me. I could let the sting swell up into something bigger, but I have a choice. I can either be afraid or I can buzz along with them and get on just fine...

Yours Always, TGITPG xoxo

6 comments:

  1. karen, you have this beautiful talent and your totally able to master the writing of everyday little things in life, some positive others not so. however you never fail to change these things around and make people smile, or really think about it, as they never would have before. the annual stinging is rather funny, not going to lie! haha. but its how you've taken that life experience and used it to learn lessons in your life today. that is truly something special and i respect you greatly for that!

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  2. Totally agree Karen, sometimes its all too easy to let the 'stings' take over your life, what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger!! Another great blog KD xo

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  3. Karen this is why i love you <3

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  4. Oh my god. I found that so touching! I think it's because I feel that I can relate to that in a lot of ways. Purely amazing blog that was! I love how you word things, it's always perfect! Love it 110%! xo

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  5. You're so talented! I loved reading this.. Keep blogging. You're such an inspiration to us all :) xx

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