Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Babel's Bees


I keep going back to the delicious dichotomy of the bee. It makes honey, but it stings. It pollinates the plants and flowers in my imaginary garden, but invokes fear. Life is full of dichotomies as we attempt to find balance in all things.

I feel a little like batman. Why bats? Because he was mortally afraid of them. I had no traumatic childhood experience where I was repeatedly stung by a swarm of bees and went into anaphylactic shock, narrowly escaping death. Actually, I've never even been stung. But I was sure I was allergic, like my dad, and one sting could be fatal. To be intrepid, fearless and calm come face to face with a noisome bumble bee, or worse a wasp! This is a supreme conquering of a fear, leave the nebbish behind and become a stronger woman.

Brigham Young used the term "Deseret," meaning honeybee in the language of the Jaredites. He used it to describe the Saints in Utah. He thought they should be productive and self-sufficient, like honeybees. I like that. Busy as a bee, hard at work, with fruitful results.

2 comments:

ducklips said...

Wow, so insightful. I love reading your blog. It reminds me of what attracted me to the arts years and years ago. I love looking at how people relate what they are thinking and feeling to whatever creative outlet they have. It's like your sharing a look inside your mind.

jennie said...

I am terrified of bees... well, wasps and hornets rather. But I guess they are different. You never hear people saying, "Busy as a wasp". I guess there's a reason for that.