Friday, June 13, 2008

safety is for the bees



augustine has been sort of afraid of bees lately. could it be the constant taunting of, shrieking about, horror story relaying neighbor boy? to try to deal with this fear we went to the park of roses yesterday to watch the bees pollinate some of their (+11,500!) roses. me being the dope i am, forgot the camera though but the place is gorgeous. GORGEOUS. the rose festival is this weekend and i think ill take the kids (david has to work, imagine that). the park of roses was named as one of 10 places to admire the bloom of the rose according to USA today. by the time we left he was talking a million miles an hour about pollination to every person that we passed, which if you know my child would know that he has no fears of talking to every person on the planet.



sometimes i really believe that a person could be wielding a bloody knife and he would still talk to them with a big silly grin on his face as innocent and trusting as a lamb. this is a good and bad thing (but i consider it mostly good). we are part of a large community of people who i trust, and what's more, i have faith that God protects us and that everything else is His will. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. this doesnt mean i dont teach common sense (aka no talking to bloody knife wielding psychos at the park no matter how exciting pollinating is, riding the subway alone, etc.). perhaps i am lax in that area. i trust people, but i don't feel to a naive degree. i do not mind that augustine plays in our front yard alone or with the neighbor kids while i am inside washing dishes or doing something else. so while the neighbor kids might be passing around a fear of bees, i don't for a minute live in fear that anyone is out to hurt, snatch, defile, offend, or act in any other way against myself or my children. yes, somewhere out there these Bad Thing happen to people but i rest comfortably in the immense probability of it not happening given our life circumstances.

ok i digress. you'll never believe what i have been doing! WORKING OUT! for the first time since college? high school track team? i have been actively pursuing a regiment for fitness. so far it only including biking maybe 10-15 miles a week but hey, it's a start. i figure with lugging around two children, groceries, library books, and of course gardening i get my strength training in too. actually lately i've noticed that my arms are getting definition. nay BUFF definition! i still question my abilities to do awesomefest though, maybe ill function in a less active capacity. anyways here's to getting healthier!

and on that note (ha) i made the best cupcakes ever this week.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

you say that you trust people, and you trust your son. so, would you let your 9 year old walk to a friends house or to the store? of course you would, because you trust him and teach him common sense. so what is the big problem with letting him ride the subway? have you ever visited new york? have you ever ridden the subway? it's not bad. there aren't people lurking behind every corner looking for fresh blood. the subway is not a dangerous place. yeah, sure, there are some bad apples, so to speak, but you get them everywhere.... even in your back yard. i guess all i'm saying is as much as i respect you i expect more respect of others from you, even if that is letting a nine year old ride the subway alone.

underneaththeolivetree said...

I agree with ya Jenny, its all about living life the best you can but being aware of your surroundings and that our kids have that same sense, we confuse them so much from birth, for instance don't talk to strangers say hello when someone says hello, poor little mites makes you wonder how they survive but they do. I also wonder about the influences that others have especially when it comes to bees or insects in general, I just can't believe how many Americans just kill insects because its there in their space when they don't even think that maybe we are the ones invading their space ie: the garden where flowers are, I'm doing my best to teach my son the cycle of the insects and what their mission here on earth is, that doesn't mean let the bee sting you it just means be aware and mindful of other creatures, so far he is doing a real good job, if insects are in the house then we do our best to capture and release however if I'm sensing that we're threatened then I have to send them to the light but in general capture & release, I so love the busy-ness of the insects early in the morning whilst I'm gardening its so amazing to watch them do their thing.

Amber said...

What a great idea, taking the kids to see all the bee's in action. We have been doing some interacting with bee's lately. I thought that I had a paralizing fear of bee's, and suddenly realized, "what's the worst thing that could hapen to me? I could get stung...big deal...it's happened before." haha...So Solomon and I now tell bee's "Don't touch me and I wont touch you!"

Its amazing that you are so fearless and trusting. This is an area that I struggle with. I don't know if it has anything to do with growing up in Los Angeles, because my husband grew up in Greensburg, PA and he thinks I'm a paranoid whacko...I really try so hard to just hand over my family and myself to God, knowing that He has lent all lives to me...but its just such a struggle...

Great blog!