The BEEginning

My mom tells a story about me as a two year old, sitting in a yellow chair and getting stung by a yellow jacket. "Mom, that mean bee stung me" I said. I've hated flying insects ever since. So how did I get here? A quarter life crisis, perhaps? (Yes, I'm planning on living to120.)
A series of fateful events in my early twenties led me to where I am now: almost 30 years old, slaving in a cubicle for the Corporate America I had so much disdain for as a younger person. I wanted to be a naturalist, a writer, a marine biologist, a horse trainer, or a veterinarian. I wanted to live in the country. I dreamed about moving out west. And here I am, working in market research, owning a home that straddles the line between suburbia and urban Cincinnati, Ohio. (Yes, I called it a cultural wasteland in my teens. More on that some other day.) As much as I try (and sometimes succeed) at finding contentment with what I have in life, my inner voice is always whispering to me about what could have been, and what could be. As much as I appear to "have it together" in many ways, I constantly fight a feeling of being lost, like I'm just mindlessly wandering through life and suddenly realize where I've ended up, and it's not where I wanted to be. What happened? Where am I?
So, I started thinking and looking for something that would be...grounding. I wanted something that would be me feel connected to the earth again and counteract the feeling of directionless floating. I honestly can't remember the first time the idea of keeping bees came to me. I remember my grandpa telling me about his dad having beehives when he was younger. I contemplated and researched, and decided that I would try to learn as much as I could this summer and then give it a try next summer if I still had interest. Then, after a fateful Craigslist search for "bee hives", I had suddenly placed an order for a top bar hive from a man in Wilmington, and it was all happening. 
I've ordered a package of bees from Spille's in Morningview, Kentucky. Tomorrow I'll make the 45 minute drive to pick them up, install them in the hive, and then start praying then don't abscond (leave the hive looking for something better.) Thanks to my grandpa, everything is all set. All that's left to do now is melt some pure beeswax on the bars to help the bees feel more at home tomorrow. I've done a lot of reading, but I know there is still much to learn. I know there is a lot we can all learn from the bees. I'm excited to record it all here and share the experience.

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