A Sweet cure~
"Because there is so little water in honey, microorganisms that encounter honey die as the water in them is removed by osmosis. In addition, as honey is diluted with water, a chemical reaction between glucose, water, and oxygen produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid. The slow release of hydrogen peroxide makes honey a mild antiseptic. The acidity of honey also reduces the number of organisms that can live in it. "
The other morning I was watching my bees, as I usually do for a little while everyday, and I observed several of them removing a dead comerade from the hive. Three or four of them rolled and wiggled the deceased out to the front of the hive, and two of them (somehow) carried her body to the ground. One bee remained with the body of the dead bee, feeling her and walking over her...performing a last rites of one sort or another(?), and then she returned to the hive. I imagine this is something that happens quite often, due to the short life span of my little buzzing neighbors. (I wouldn't exactly call them "friends", nor should I say they are "mine"...because bees belong to no-one but their Queen.)
Worker Bees die about every 21 to 30 days, however, this is the same anount of time (21 days) it takes for incubation. Worker bees are all female and do all of the work in the hive. The Drones are male and only live to mate with a Queen, and he dies soon after.
A honey bee has a single purpose in life: To reproduce the colony. Everything they do, from gathering nectar and pollen, making honey, building honey comb, to laying eggs, and removing their dead...it's all for the survial of the next generation.
Is this the purose of all lesser, or non domesticated, creatures?
I use the term "non domesticated" because I was thinking of my cats, who are both fixed, and care nothing for creating a new generation of themselves. They only want their favorite food and to be petted...and to sleep in a comfy spot on my deck chair.
However, I have seen my cats chase bugs and butterflies for sport. Obviously they aren't hungry- they are having fun. The same can be said of dogs, dolphins, horses, and even bears. Though I hardly consider a bear to be a creature that can be domesticated.
I guess this train of thought comes from my own inner longing of wanting to be sure I've found my purpose, and that I am pursuing it. I think humans generally have more than one purpose. I think our purpose, or callings, change over time. I know they do. My 20's and 30's were spent caring for my children. My 40's are very different. At 30, with a 6 and 4 yr old, I could scarcely imagine being away from my family for a weekend, much less a week or a month. At 40- (and beyond, I hope) this is not out of the question, and is at times a wonderful reality.
All that being said though, this morning, as I marveled at the honey bees in my back yard, I felt a little twinge of longing...
Of longing to know my purpose before it unfolds on the horizion. Of seeing the productivity of bees, and the lounging of my cats, and knowing I was somewhere in between those 2 lifestyles. Recognizing the beauty of my life and being thankful for what I have, yet feeling certain there is much more for me to do.
