The Winds of Change for a Bumble Bee

Change is weird. We know it's going to happen. We can even anticipate some things, and yet we still don't want some things to happen. We will try to avoid, run, or even try to change the change. We don't want children to grow up, we don't want jobs to become boring, we don't want friends to leave, but we all know it will happen.  As a famous character off of Monster Inc. once said the "Winds of Change" always come. Little Bumble Bees do try to go with the flow of these Winds of Change. We like to fly along with the winds, it's easier to fly with the wind instead of going against it. It's not always easy, but little Bumble Bees know that it's better in the end to just go with the change.

When people avoid change it can be like trying to fight the current of a river. You will stroke and stroke, but will soon be too tired and will go with the flow. Now image picking up one of those blow up rafts from Wal-Mart and floating down the river with a nice glass of lemonade in your hand. Life does seem so much easier when you don't fight the inevitable, but instead looking forward to the change of pace. Changing pace can be both good and bad. Sometimes when your pace is too slow your goals and aspirations will slowly disappear. Other times when your pace is too fast you will soon be worn raged and unable to enjoy the journey ahead. Now the pace of a little Bumble Bee is very different than that of other insects.

A faster pace does not mean that one insect is better than another. Nor does a slower pace mean that that insect is lazier than others. The story of the tortoise and a hare is a perfect example of this. The tortoise took it slow, he made sure that the race was done at his very best ability as his own pace. The hare started off fast and took many breaks. He may not have finished first, but at least he finished the race. The koala didn't even participate in the race. Sometimes it's not about avoiding the change, but accepting the change with grace and at your own pace.

Accept change in any form it comes in. That means be flexible when need be, take what people throw at you and throw it right back. If people started to accept some of the things that come at them perhaps people would be able to some of the change with a little more grace. When someone starts to accept change with grace, other things can then be accepted, the list is endless when it comes to things that will open your mind once you accept change. So let's try. Accept change, accept others, and try to live your life gracefully.

The Busy-Ness of this Busy Bumble Bee

Why is it that being busy can bring out the best (and worst) of people? I am a Busy Bumble Bee and an quite busy. I rather enjoy being busy, I am a bit of a busy-body(Wow. Try saying that three times fast). But there are some who hate to be busy, they would much rather not have anything to do and just relax. Why?

For me to be busy is a great feeling. It is full of accomplishing things and checking things off of the list of things I have to do. When there are things to do I am not bored, I'm usually surrounded by someone who needs to accomplish the same thing as I do and so there is always friends to be made out of the busy-ness of life. That is a fact of life after all. At some point, every person on this earth will be busy. Be it with children, a job, or any other activity busy-ness will happen. Some will thrive. I have many a friend who, in the true nature of college, believes that they perform better "under pressure." Now I never said I liked pressure. In my little Bumble Bee world pressure and keeping busy are two very different things. Pressure has always seemed like a bad thing to me. When something is under pressure it is about to blow. Pressure is when someone expects so much from someone else that they explode and are unable to really do great. To be busy is when you have things to do so you put on your favorite song, pull up your sleeve, and get down to work. The work can be enjoyable or not. I have cleaned my little room in the hive (my dorm room that is) with both happiness and sadness. I don't truly know anyone who actually enjoys cleaning, not to say that there isn't someone out there who does, but it is almost like a universal understanding that it needs to happen. And if something is going to happen whether you want it to or not, why would you dread it and put it off. To get something started, and then finished, and gives a great feeling of accomplishment.

There are some little insects, many of my college peer are included in this category, that do not like to be busy.  I believe that there are basically two types of insects. There are those who would rather laze around on a pretty flower and take in the rays, like a ladybug or a grasshopper, then there are those who know that work must be done in order to survive through the winter so instead of relaxing on the flower these insects are collecting pollen and food so that they may relax later, such as ants and Bumble Bees (of course). Bumble Bees collect many things for the winter, for you see little Bumble Bees do not like the winter, so they will collect many things such as coffee, blankets, and books. Both ants and Bumble Bees will collect through the summer and fall, but the ladybugs and grasshoppers must scramble at the end of the summer and fall to collect what is required to survive the winter. Ladybugs and grasshoppers are the insects who will collect the fast food, and laziness (for you see the laziness will not stop once winter starts). While there may not be a right and a wrong way to prepare for winter it must happen. So why would someone become so sad by the prospect of gathering the coffee creamer (you see Bumble Bees take creamer with their coffee, just a splash not enough to take away the coffee taste, but just enough so that it's not too strong)? Bumble Bees, such as myself, take such joy in being busy. Being busy means you are alive and are living life. If you are not busy, what are you doing? Now that I have said this I'm going to go and be busy, for what else would I be doing? I must prepare for the coming of spring.

The Five Easy Steps That Keep This Bumble Bee Happy

It's happened. I've left the couch for the library. Classes have begun at my little insect school and everyone is buzzing (See what I did there? Because I'm a bee). While not everyone is excited to get back and start learning I am. I have always been that nerd who enjoyed school. I love to learn. And what better place than college to do just that? The idea of school has always excited me (I know, I know. I'm a nerd, but hey look who's reading.) The idea of new things, clever teachers, crappy food, and good friends has always made me happy. But then I'm a very happy person. I don't like it when others aren't happy. So in an attempt to bring more happy people into the world (and to keep my blog buzzing) I've made a check list of things to make me happy.

1. Be Happy. Be Healthy
For me being healthy is the very first step. Being healthy doesn't mean eating like a rabbit, but feeling good. (And you don't have to be a health nut to feel good.) Find a work out you like, find a friend to work out with, and don't aim to look like a skeleton! Just do what feels natural and it'll work. (And yes, that is the slogan for Honey Nut Cheerios.)

2. Think Deep
This is my little spiritual cry. ( I promise I'm not going to convert you.) I think to be spiritual on some level is important. It's about being happy with not just yourself, but also with your universe. I don't think it matters how you reach clarity whether it be religion, or science, or even extraterrestrials as long as you reach a healthy clarity.

3. Happy Body. Happy Soul. Happy Mind.
This is anti-ignorance plead. There are a million things to learn out there. What is the worst that could happen from learning? (And don't say mob hit.) Just reading or watching TV (Yeah, TV can be okay for you) can open your mind to whole new things. And who doesn't like an open mind?

4. Don't Just Set Goals. Achieve Them.
If you want something, set a goal, and then go for it. That goal can be little or big, the important part is to take steps to achieve it. Because the feeling of achieving something you want is a powerful feeling.

5. Forget Everything I Said.
Who cares what I say?! Do whatever you want to be happy. Not a single being in this universe is the same so what makes me happy might not make anyone else happy. Do what makes you happy.

Happiness brings people to amazing things. Happiness allows people to do big things like start a family or create a non-profit organization or small things like offer someone a helping hand or tell a joke to lighten up someone's day. You know that expression fake it 'til you feel it? Well, it's true. Just the sheer act of smiling, even if you're having a bad day, can cause the release of endorphins, which makes us happy. So human beings can literally fake being happy until we are happy.

So now with this new found knowledge and these helpful tips may there be more happy people in the world. Because why would anyone stay unhappy?

The Ecosystem that is College

College, like any other place, is a unique environment. And like every ecosystem there are several layers that break down the ecosystem until you are looking at a single individual (in this instance a single individual is this little Busy Bumble Bee). For my specific college I would break down as followed:

1. The Town
This is where the University is located on a map.
2. The University
While this doesn't have any map coordinates to go with it, it is indeed the layer of the ecosystem.
3. The Administration
This is the first layer of the living organisms. These creatures try to look at the "Big Picture" when making discussions about the school. They can miss some important details, but they mean well.
4. The Parents
While these particular individuals do not live on the premises they do make an impact on the ecosystem and are thus considered into the layers
5.The Faculty
These are the organisms that have the most contact with the students. These can almost be considered the adult form of the below layers
6. The Students
This is a very important layer. The students are what keep the ecosystem held together. They are like the glue to a birthday card, or the blood to a body.
    This is where the layers start to become really specific.
7. The Foreign Exchange Students
These are the individuals who migrate in and out of the ecosystem thus providing diversity. These individuals are known to group together due to the fact that they find comfort in travelling together.
8. The Jocks
These organisms are also known to migrate into and out of the ecosystem, though not as far as the previous layer. These individuals are brought together by training for battle together, much like soldier ants.
9. The Artists
These interesting individuals are brought closer by the struggles of an artist. I'm not really sure what the struggles are the of an artists are, but I still think it brings people together. After all, struggle is what brings us all together.
10. The Scientists
In case you haven't guessed, scientists are the college students who study science. There you go. There's that category.
11. The Biologists
This group is specific to the study of life (That's what biology means, the study of life).
12. The Sarcastics
This is the group of people I spend time with. Yes, I'm sarcastic. If you haven't been able to pick that up from my blogs then I need to try harder.
13. This Little Busy Bumble Bee
This is me. I am a Busy Bumble Bee who is sarcastic, who loves to learn, read, and write. I'm a nerd, and love every minute of it.

This little ecosystem that has been created is very isolated. Barely any news comes in or out unless someone makes an extraordinary effort. Now this has both pros and cons. On the cons side we are quite in the dark. Everything that occurs both nationally and internationally is in the dark. We are kept in the dark, but expected to be a "part" of the world that we cannot see. It is quite difficult when you have no idea what is going on. On the other hand this is the ideal situation for ideas to proliferate. This is a petri dish for college ideas. In a scientific situation this is perfect. [A scientists always wants to observe a clean environment without making an impact on the environment or the organisms that reside within that environment] Any ideas really: religion, political, music, environment, any idea big or small, relevant or irrelevant, smart or completely stupid can be discussed, changed, ridiculed, or defended all while eating lunch or in between classes

Another way to look at the ecosystem is not by looking in, but by looking out. To look at how the ecosystem works with other ecosystems. I am only familiar with my little town and my little campus, but my little campus has reached the far corners of this country. Every time a student graduates and takes their first steps out into the world, the reaches of the college increases. This college is just one stop on life, just like a bee collecting pollen and then taking it to the hive to create honey. Every stop a student makes they collect information, in my analogy information is pollen, and drop of some information and continue off. Finally they arrive at their final destination, the hive. They're final destination isn't death, no in fact it's life. When someone decides to settle down, make a life for themselves I think this is their hive. When it's a really good life, something sweet always comes out of it, again that's the honey in my analogy. This sweet honey can be seen as different things for different people. To some it's a rewarding job, others it's children, family, friends. These different sweet things don't make life any less sweet, it just brings sweetness to that particular person's life. Now this is me working on my honey. My blog makes me happy so it's part of my sweet. My pollen comes from my life, my experiences, and I'm rather enjoying my honey. Now go out, find your honey, work for it, and enjoy it when you have it.

Long Titles and the Descriptions that Ensue (The Year of the Blog)

Busy Bumble Bees such as myself love the new year. A new year for a Busy Bumble Bee means a few more months of cold winter followed by the promise of the rebirth of spring. I love the idea of rebirth, to think of new years resolutions that are occurring right now. To attempt to better yourself is a noble effort indeed. As living beings we are imperfect. We are full of beautiful imperfections and some not so beautiful imperfections. To try to fix the "ugly" imperfections is a nice idea. Now some do not make resolutions believing that they will not succeed so why try. NO! Isn't it better to try and fail than never try at all?! There is a quote I once saw that speaks true to me every new year. "Big life changes are scary. Know what's scarier? Regret." So to avoid regret I think we make new years resolutions. We attempt to be healthier, be happier, and to better our lives.

For me starting isn't the problem, it's the endurance of the year that is difficult. At first I'm excited. It's a new year and I have a new goal. But in a few months something will come up and I'll forget for a few days. Then I'm behind. And it's hard to get back onto the bandwagon once you've fallen off. I mean who knew that "The Bandwagon" traveled so fast. I always pictured a covered wagon with people playing guitars and tambourines with a cheerful little horse. Little did I know that "The Bandwagon" was really a bullet train packed full of businessmen and women on their PDAs and Apple iPhones talking to secretaries and CEOs instead of playing a guitar. But if you try really hard you can get back on and soon it will become a habit.

What is my new years resolution you're asking? Well, it took me a little bit to decide what I was going to do. I felt that I wanted to enhance my happiness for this year. So for this year I will blog once a week. It is the year of the blog (like the Chinese New Year only on the Internet). I want to try to make observations through the eyes of this Busy Bumble Bee. Who knows what I'll write about. The sky is the limit, maybe I'll write about the sky! I'd better get started. After all this Busy Bumble Bee has a long road ahead, I mean a long year ahead.

The Family Tree of a Busy Bumble Bee

Many of you probably believe that bumble bees are social little creatures. After all, from the moment we are born we are surrounded by other bumble bees working away in our hive to keep it running, but this is where you are slightly mistaken. At least for this Busy Bumble Bee, a lot of people are unwanted. The noise and confusion that accompanies a crowd isn't exactly ideal for a little bumble bee such as myself. If I could have a table full of my family and my friends I would be just buzzing with happiness. (You see I made a pun... buzzing!) To be in a crowd means small talk. Lots of "How's the weather"s and "How's the family "s. I find it much more enjoyable to avoid small talk and instead have Big Talk, you know those conversations that you and your friends have about a professor, or you and your family talking about something strange one of you saw that day. Those Big Talks make me immensely happy. In those talks you really bring out your personality. For instance, were you to have a Big Talk with this little Busy Bumble Bee, you would discover that I am a sarcastic little biologists that finds it hilarious for all the inside jokes combine to form an outside joke.

You know you're having a good Big Talk when others around you turn to stare at you because they think you're a) rude [because you're being loud] b) weird [because most of my group is biologist so we're pretty weird or c) having more fun than them. My family has this and we are constantly getting these looks from the cats that reside in our humble abode. (The cat only thinks in a and b. She does not care if we're having fun. We're just weird in her eyes.)

Another type of Big Talk is when you talk about each other. When you ask someone how their day was and you are truly interested. It's not a custom that you've grown into, no it's an interest in how they are doing, because you truly do want to know what is going on in their head. My siblings are in this fashion. My little wild cat sister is starting to look at the real world and say "I could do better." and make plans to make the world work better. To hear what is happening in her life is interesting indeed. I now know why my little otter parents were asking me when I was at this stage. To see someone who is about to take on their world in their own way is fascinating. You find yourself wondering, how with she do it, what if she fails, what will happen. (I know what will happen if she fails. She'll just get angry and do it again, with a smile on her face.) My wolf brother is also interesting to talk to. He's in the midst of his ordinary life with his ordinary problems, but the way he handles them is quite fascinating indeed. To hear that talking about viruses is cool and not difficult or gross is wonderful to hear. He always takes the challenges of life a little different than my sister. My little wolf brother is patient, waiting out the trials with a ducked head, and ear buds in his ears. Once the storm has passed he'll look up, look around, and then take action. My parents also take their cup of life a little differently. (I personally enjoy putting coffee creamer in mine. Right now it's all about the pumpkin spice.) These little otters are planners. They will float on their backs, grab a little urchin, and make lists upon lists of things that need to happen, things they want to happen, and things that if anything were to go wrong they would at least have 3 back up plans. They enjoy knowing that if my sister were to fail they know exactly which dessert they would buy her to make her feel better so that she could take on the world again. (It's cake pops by the way. The red velvet kind.) They plan everything especially when it involves their family. Every kind movement is exact and precise, every battle for their children is like a covert op ready to happen at anytime.

These are the things I find dear to me. To know that my sister has enthusiasm, my brother has patients, and my parents have planned kindness makes me wonder if maybe if the world were to have a little more people of this nature would make it easier, not necessarily "better," but it would make the medicine go down a little easier with some sugar. (That's right everyone, Mary Poppins reference. You're welcome.) Well, I think I'll depart on that note. Perhaps I will try to be a little bit of sugar today and make someone's life a little easier. Of maybe I'll be a little spoon full of pumpkin spice.

Busy Bumble Bee College

I am a studious Bumble Bee. I am an college student and can often be found with ink on my hands, bags under my eyes, and a list of things to do. I enjoy being in college, and often find that I am good at being a student. College has often provided me with the questions a student is expected to answer before emerging into "true" adulthood. Questions such as "What should I do with my life?", "How will I contribute to society?", and of course "What do I believe in?". These questions, I think, are expected to be answered before the graduating of college. I am, as with many things, confused as to why I need to know these things before I leave college.

Fore instance, "What should I do with my life?". I am fortunate indeed in that I know what I want to do in order to contribute to this world. To heal has always been a noble pursuit in  my eyes. To become a little doctor Bumble Bee is a wonderful idea. However, many of my college peers do not know and are told that they need to be know now or forever be a burden to society. How is it that in high school we are told to take our time and really understand the profession, that we have plenty of time to decide, but upon arrival at an institution are immediately corrected and told to make a decision as soon as possible. This is indeed a difficult decision to make and should be given plenty of time, but why is there pressure to do anything with one's life.

I suspect that many of you are say that one must make the most with one's life in order to feel alive, but how is that true? Wouldn't some argue that a woman who stays at home and raises children does "nothing" with her life? What of a man who tries to invent something, but gets nowhere? Do these people go about their lives doing "nothing?" I wonder that if these people are happy are they not better off than people who do "something" with their life and remain miserable. So many who discover that an office job is tedious and annoying to them, should they not quit their job and discover something more enjoyable to them? Well, the thoughts of a young, inexperienced Bumble Bee will perhaps go unnoticed and un-pondered over, but they are my thoughts.

I often find myself confused as to why we are expected to understand what we believe before we leave college. As though if we are still searching for ourselves after college our contribution to society is less. If someone graduates from college as an Atheist, are they not allowed to change their mind after they have settled into their lives? Perhaps the other way around. A Christian changing their mind to become a Buddhist is frowned upon, because once you are Christian you stay Christian. Many things happen in college; socializing, learning, stressing, questioning, how can we be expected to also concentrate on our faith, on our beliefs.

Somehow many do find time, and often want to share it with the community of college. Little crowds of insects gather to contemplate religion, science, and the combination there of. Some say that they cannot exist together, others that they must in order for the world to make sense. I am counted among the latter of that sentence. For me science is the only way to explain the world that God has given us. The idea that God and science can't exist together is a strange one indeed. It is almost like the scientists don't want to admit that a higher power could exist in the same world as their precious scientific theory. Or perhaps that the religious don't want to chance the idea of science canceling out their beliefs in God. Still, to contemplate it is one of my favorite activities. I enjoy expanding my mind, which is why I think I am such a good college student. If I wasn't able to expand my mind, how would I accept all of the idea the professors are bringing to me? Well, I must return to being a college student. After all a Busy Bumble Bee must remain busy to remain happy.