In an article for the New York Times, Helen Jukes, author of “A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings,” relates how her gambit to decompress from her hectic office job in a hectic city by becoming an amateur beekeeper misfires in a most marvelous way. The intensive care required to sustain (“keep”) a bee colony is the opposite of the peaceful idyll she seeks. But her immersion into the needs of her bees gives her a mindfulness and connection to nature more valuable than any daily rest break.
Searching for beekeeping near me? Here is a glimpse of what you will getting into if you are considering it!
Helen first imagines the bees as a respite from her hectic office job and the pace of city life, but is caught off guard by the labor-intensive care they require.
“I was fascinated by the bees — though not, I realized, very confident about “keeping.” Jobs, rented rooms, relationships — all had come and gone in the last few years, each relocation seeming to hold the promise of something better or more. Perhaps this transience was just the way of things. Still, it bothered me. Did I lack the capacity for longevity? Was I missing the skills needed to sustain?”
Helen gradually becomes more aware of and attuned to the colonies needs, and thus discovers more mindfulness in her everyday life.
Read The New York Times article here.
