Every Little Thing wants...........love!

“I hadn't been out to the hives before, so to start off she gave me a lesson in what she called 'bee yard etiquette'. She reminded me that the world was really one bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places. Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved.”
― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

I love almost everything that Sue Monk Kidd writes.  Her fictional pieces are woven with implicit and sometimes explicit images of the feminine divine, as in the case of secret life of bees and her writing invites me to far away place all the while inviting me deeper inside the places of my own heart.  Her autobiographical pieces, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and the more recent book she co-wrote with her daughter, share what appears to be her unedited version of internal theological wrestling.  Perhaps, that's why I am always so inspired by the things she writes.  She is unafraid to struggle with life and love and the Mystery of the Universe.  She is not afraid to pick up a new metaphor or create a new image with her words.   Reading her can be equated to a cool drink of lemonade on a sweltering summer day.  She inspires me.  She invites me to think.  She takes me to new places and uses simple things to sometimes make me say 
Ouch!

In choosing my "quote" to put underneath this picture, I was led back to her writing and when I ran upon this one---
I knew it was the one because
I had my "ouch" moment followed by a quick "aha".
Bee Yard philosophy works in many places
in the school yard, 
on the home playing field,
and
out in the work force.
It's all true you know...
"Don't be afraid"
but 
in some way or fashion
"aren't we all" but just hearing someone say this to you
doesn't it help...diffuse that restless energy of dread inside....
No life loving (key words there)
no life loving bee wants to sting you----
perhaps that is true for humans as well
no life loving human wants to hurt another human
and bear with me as I process right before your eyes--but my question becomes then---how do I know the difference between a life-loving and a life-sucking individual....
it is hard to tell sometimes you know.....
but 
she goes on to say
"don't be stupid--wear long sleeves"
I find that I zip along
move around from 
person to person
feeding off their energy,
their nectar in the same way 
others zip around lighting on me and snacking....
but 
I suppose at any given moment 
we
us humans 
can waver between life loving and life sucking kind of lines...
so 
always
wear long sleeves for those 
occasional moments 
when 
someone or something 
might cause the stinger to come out...
Don't swat
stand still
and
bring the Holy calming smoke
when necessary....
calm presence
and
just a little whistle
can often 
calm the angriest of us human bees---
I forget that quite often.
Act like you know everything
or 
in the words of another smart human whose name 
I don't know
SIN BOLDLY...
give it your all
fake it 'til you make it
and above all...
send love
every little bee wants to be loved...
now that right there is the line that grabbed me most...
every little thing wants to be loved.

I watch people all day
see bubbling reactions brewing inside
the 
crucible we call life...
I watch energizing human atoms ignite reactions
pots almost boil over
sometimes see 
a special thing where all the atoms freeze up
and the crucible's contents grow cold and rigidly frozen
or 
add in another catalyst 
and 
before 
we humans know it...
the contents are erupted
from there to here to eternity 
with 
no way to 
go back to the safe structured environment found inside
the crucible....
but 
LOVE
add in LOVE
every little thing
wants love
and
it is true
LOVE
it changes things
changes lives
changes humans
changes individuals
and
changes 
me
makes me feel cherished
valued 
embraced--so I suppose deep inside my greatest 
bumble bee enemy--they too want the same things as me....

I try to do that for other folks most often
but
then I find
that 
if I forget the long sleeves
get too close
risk exposure too much
the pain from the stings
causes me to retreat....
pull back
where 
fear
it meets me again
and the vicious cycle
it starts all over
don't be afraid,
put on long sleeves
whistle
....
today
I'm putting on my long sleeves
gonna whistle
as 
I flitter around 
from 
pod to pod
and
I will remember
the key part...

Every little thing
that man who gets on my nerves
the frightened child
the crazy woman screaming
the one with the injured heart....
...
Every little thing wants to be loved
I just gotta figure out 
what that looks like...

so
on this fine Wednesday morning
....
don't be afraid
wear long sleeves
whistle
and
above all
open up your heart and share your own nectar
....
Love changes
Love mends
Love works

Love..
Every little thing wants to be loved.

Have a great day 
outside your little hive.......

Blessings and HUGS
The Radical Rambler