Buzzed into The New Year
I was attacked by a family of bees and it was the most important lesson I could have learned.
By: Molly Khabie
Have you ever been stung by a family of bees?
Why me? What had I done to deserve this? What was in store for me for the next 364 days?
These were all thoughts that were running through my head while I was attacked by a family of bees on the Jewish New Year.
The Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah – is a time of redemption, high hopes for the year ahead, and lots of honey. Instead, mine was filled with stings, Benadryl, ice, and numbing spray.
The only thing more excruciating than the physical sensation I felt throughout my body was the excruciating thought that, somehow, this represented the rest of the year for me – a superstitious person’s worst nightmare.
However, after reflecting on this experience, I realized I had never felt so alive and present in my life than immediately after I escaped the bees. I screamed in pain. I breathed in pain. And in that moment, covered in stings and feeling physical pain, I learned the true meaning of finding strength from within during the most difficult and uncomfortable moments.
I learned the meaning of getting back up and standing up for yourself – in my case, physically – despite those who oppose you without fear or doubt.
Don’t get me wrong – I cried and screamed on the side of that road. I didn’t want to stand up. I wanted to remain bent over my knees forever. For a while, I did. But at some point, I realized that I couldn’t let myself suffer. The longer I sat still and let the pain take over me, the less time I had to treat the sensation that took over my body.
So, when I decided to fight the pain and stand up, I was confident in my decision. Ironically, I understood that I had to fight through the pain to win the match.
Bees play a crucial role in creating life on Earth. The power of understanding the stinger is the understanding of how being stung, physically or emotionally, is essential to creating the sweetness in life.
Honey plays a crucial role in Rosh Hashanah – it signifies the sweetness that the upcoming year will bring.
I no longer believe that those bee stings were cursed.