Bees and Children

Claire and I watch as a bumblebee darts and hovers over feathery stalks of lavender. Legs plump with pockets of pollen, the bee's rotund orbed body seems impossibly, precariously airborne. "How are those delicate wings keeping it aloft?" I wonder.

The bee doesn't ask this question. She just flies.

My daughter doesn't ask this question either. In a sense, she flies too.

She and the bee fly, because that's what bees and children do. They act purely from their bee and child nature.

We adults, we know better. Self-awareness brings the ability to fathom the cavernous depths of the impossible, to buckle under the weight of self-doubt, to allow the fear of failure to keep us earthbound, to stop us from taking a leap into the unknown.

Bees and children remind us that our spirit can be otherwise. They remind us to remember taking flight, to remember that we were once children too...



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Photo Source: Eduardo Merille, Flickr. This photo has been adapted and does not suggest that the licenser endorses me, it's use or this blog. License

Not Your Father's Old MacDonald

I doubt you'll ever find goats screaming like victims of torture over at Old MacDonald's place. But that's what my husband's teaching my daughter. He's obsessed with this video on Youtube, which, I must admit, is very funny. You should check it out. 

I'm not so sure that my daughter should be watching it, though. We're already so removed from nature as it is. We have to drive an hour plus from NYC to get to Stone Barns, which is a really cool working farm in Westchester County. The place is great, but, in truth, we go about once or twice a year for a couple hours.

Claire, George and chickens at Stone Barns

Instead, Claire has Youtube, which is right at our fingertips. Much to my dismay, she gets to learn about animals secondhand through a virtual source. She gets to see that the magic of computer technology transforms animals into burping, screaming and/or crying humans. Funny, yes. Educational, no.

In a few years, I think she might be old enough to join in on the fun. Until then, I think it's a good idea that she learn the real sounds that animals make first.

George would probably tell me to lighten up a bit. After all, it's only a video. In response, I would say that I'd be happy to make a deal with him. He gets the screaming goats video, if I get more family trips to Stone Barns when the weather gets warmer...


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