The Bee Boogie (A Little Miracle)

If you, like me, are ultra-sensitive to the natural world, and regularly exposed to that very particular kind of attunement—and grief—that comes with being like this, then you’ve probably been here too:

Faced with the suffering of another creature and not quite knowing what to do, but doing what you can.

Aware that your best intentions may be misguided, or may not lead to the outcome you’re hoping for.

Re-experiencing fragments of loss from your earliest years: the beloved animals that were left behind when you relocated, or that passed away; the strawberry seedlings in the corner of the garden that never took; the delicate butterfly you tucked into a cotton-woolled matchbox casket.

The grief doesn’t necessarily stem from death—like me, you might be fairly accepting of the natural cycles of life and death—but from an over-responsibility for the liability of our species.

But, every now and then, come the miracles… this was one of them.

While staying at Magoebaskloof, Limpopo, one of our many stops on a south-to-north drive up South Africa, I found a bee lying motionless on the window sill, his right foreleg folded tightly under. With no way to escape the house, and the previous night’s temperature having plummeted, he was weak with exhaustion, dying. I decided to gently place him outside because, when it’s my time, I’d prefer to be shrouded in fresh air and kissed farewell by a gentle winter sun.

On a whim, I presented the bee with a cheery pink flower whose tubular shape suggested nectar galore! The bee raised his head, but was too weak to clamber onto my offering. Next I drizzled honey, a bluegum honey that had been sweet enough to sate even my sweet tooth during our road trip.

He began to drink.

Twenty very long minutes passed before a curious rocking motion overtook him. My heart sank: Were these spams of death? Had I made a terrible mistake?

But no! This, it turned out, was a foot-tapping, knee-flinging, belly-bobbing boogie!

I blinked, and he had taken flight. I wish I’d captured this moment for you, but I was too busy shrieking with delight.

These are the moments to pay attention to. These memories, the times it did work out, can support our own bounce-back boogie in the tougher times.

How to remain sensitive and resilient in a world that bewilders is a theme close to my heart and a key reason I’m enrolled in a one-year course in trauma-informed facilitation with SomaPsych and Legacy Motion.

PHOTO: Mostafa Eissa/Pexels