The Relaunch

Each winter the bees huddle in a giant ball flapping their wings as quickly as they possibly can to stay warm, and eat from the honey they collected over the spring, summer and into the fall, waiting for warmer days and sun and flowers. Bees are a lot like us, or we are like bees. We huddle in our homes throughout winter, flapping our own proverbial wings to stay warm. And then the sun comes out, and the flowers bloom, and we relaunch ourselves back out in the world.

A relaunch. Sometimes we all need a relaunch; sometimes even our businesses or side hustles need a relaunch. Sometimes we need to take a step back and give ourselves time to rest after the coldness and exhaustion of a winter that was so full of activity that we couldn’t possibly fly anymore. And that’s okay. Because soon it will be warm again, and we know this.

Sometimes our little wings have flapped so hard keeping us warm and safe and they begin to tire and they just need a rest. And sometimes, once we rest our wings for a short time, they are ready to fly again.

I’m excited again. I’m excited to share our bees with all of you. I’m excited to teach an audience about all the bees even if they couldn’t possibly care about all of it. I’m excited to share our honey and maple syrup and all the sweet things we can possibly make.

There are so many things I haven’t done.

I haven’t planted my garden.

I haven’t collected honey from the bees.

I haven’t made sourdough bread in months.

But there are things I have done too.

I have put good soil in the garden.

I have loved the bees and split hives and found queens and lost queens and spent time with my dad.

I have fed the sourdough starter each week to keep it alive.

I have started to relaunch myself out into the world.

The sun is out once again, and boy does it feel good.

Tending to bees