It is very much like summer today. The air is light and warm, the grass is hot. There are three beehives in my yard, and today they seem very threatening. I went out and laid in the sun for awhile, just enjoying the moment. It was the perfect combination of opposites; a cool breeze and thorough sunlight. It felt like everyone around me paid me a favor, keeping quiet until i was finished. When i got up, dazed, warm, and happy, I looked around there were bees hovering around the clovers at my feet. Beneath them, tiny beetles darted among the roots. And beneath that, I knew there were worms (and possibly a few gophers). Every thing knows its place. Except us, at least. And why is that? Well, we are blessed and cursed with free thought, free will. We call ourselves advanced, more capable that any other animal, and we are right. But looking at these little animals who knew exactly what they needed to do and were perfectly capable of achieving it, I suddenly felt very envious. The bee doesn't decide to spend the day laying on a leaf or under a flower and tell himself that he will just work extra hard tomorrow to make up for today. He fills his place. And he does it perfectly. On the other hand, neither does he worry about the future. The sun will rise tomorrow, bringing more flowers, new life, new opportunities. What else does he need? All of us spend our lives worrying about the next day. The next month. A year. All of us could learn from bees. As for now, I think I'll enjoy the sun some more. Then again...It would be smart to work on that essay due in a few days. See what I mean?
