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Life endlessly offers us chances to set new directions and in the process we grow and change; when we look in the rearview mirror, we catch a glimpse of former selves who sometimes seem unrecognizable.
The problem with doing chores around the house was never knowing quite when you might be finished, since there was always something else that needed to be done…or
If you’re feeling put-upon, force yourself to stand up straight; if you’re feeling overwhelmed because you’re faced with a complex task, try to lessen that sensation with simple tasks of things you can do, like starting with the first easy step, and then, after that, doing the next simple thing.
What I can say, however, is that I’ve come to accept that life never turns out quite like one expects.
Because who is ever really fixed when it comes to mental or emotional health? Life takes radical twists and turns, and hopes and dreams shift as people enter different phases of their lives.
we’re all continual works in progress.
“Maybe the older people get, the more important the past becomes? Because there’s less future ahead?”
“Bee colonies have an annual cycle. In the winter, a hive might have five or ten thousand bees. In the spring, once it warms up, the queen begins laying more eggs, and the
population begins to grow.
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During the summer months, a hive might hold up to a hundred thousand bees, which is why an apiarist might add another chamber to the hive. Then, as autumn approaches, the queen begins to lay fewer eggs. The population starts to diminish again, because the col...
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In the winter, the remaining bees eat the honey to survive. They also cluster together and vibrate to create heat, so the colony doesn’t freeze. When it begin...
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“Every hive also has a single queen. Assuming the queen doesn’t get sick, she lives from three to five years. Early on in her life cycle, the queen flies around and gets fertilized by as many male bees as she can before returning to the hive where she’ll lay eggs for the rest of her life.
The eggs turn to larvae, and then pupae, and when they’re mature, the bees are ready to serve the hive.
Unlike the queen, these worker bees live only six or seven weeks, and they’ll cycle through a variety of different jobs in their short lives. The vast majority are female. The males are called drones.” ...
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mentioned a few of the jobs bees do during their life cycle—clean the hive or feed the larvae or whatever. But the majority of bees in any hive collect pollen and nectar. A lot of people might think that pollen and nectar are the same, but they’re not. Nectar is the sugary juice in the heart of the flowers. Pollen, on the other hand, are tiny grains that collect on the anthers.
“A bee will fill its nectar sacs,
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fly back to the hive, and turn the nectar into honey. A bee also has glands that turn some of the sugar in the honey into beeswax. And little by little, honey is created and stored.”
“When a bee gets back to the hive with its load of nectar, it passes the nectar mouth-to-mouth to a different bee, who then does the same to another bee, over and over, gradually lowering the moisture content. When it gets concentrated enough, it’s called honey.”
“Pollen is mixed with nectar to make bee bread. That’s what they feed the larvae.”
Because the bees need to eat the honey to survive the winter, an apiarist has to be careful not to take too much when they harvest.”
“My grandfather would only harvest about sixty percent of the honey in any given hive, some in June and the remainder in August. Some of the larger producers will take a higher percentage, but it’s generally not a good idea.”
the decline in the bee population probably has less to do with overharvesting than the overuse of chemicals to clear the hive.
“It’s a smoker. It calms the bees.” “How?” “The bees interpret smoke as part of a forest fire and they’ll begin feeding on the honey in case they have to move the hive somewhere else.”
A lot of commercial honey is actually honey mixed with flavored corn syrup. You have to be careful where you buy.”
family is like your shadow on a sunny day, always there, just over your shoulder, following you in spirit no matter where you are or what you’re doing. They’re always with you.
Stop and turn away. Force yourself to smile and relax the muscles. Take five long breaths. Feel the emotion, and then let it go, watching as it dissipates. Weigh the pros and cons regarding the action you want to take. Check the facts and realize that in the broad scheme of things, what really happened doesn’t matter at all.
guilt is simply an emotion, and like all emotions, it will eventually pass. Unless you choose to hold on to it.”
“Keep in mind that as hard as things are, it is possible to find things to enjoy and to be grateful for the opportunities that life presents.”
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget, or you stop wishing that you can change the past. Mainly it means that you accept the idea that you’re not perfect, because no one is perfect. And terrible things can happen to anyone.”
