Finding a better way to be is aspirational, and the path to being all of that, involved learning to see self and others unclouded by the imperatives of what should be, could be, or even ought to be. The imposed expectations of specifics without attention to the individual components of being can create a sense of dissatisfaction with self and a wanna be attitude that may not reflect the core of the individual.

Learning to be the best you can be in the face of expectations, stereotypes, and goals set by others is no easy task. It requires an inquisitive mind that bravely challenges a norm that may not reflect the personal composition of the searcher. The path is uncertain to finding self and living in harmony with self and others. The search for the path of a “Beekeeper” requires hearing without ignoring and seeing without limitations of pre-thought. Self is an illusive shadow of our temporal self, that shimmers with possibilities and awaits recognition and acceptance.

I was raised to be a Beekeeper and to illuminate a path, with little or no compulsions. Raising my own little “Bees” was a privilege coupled with the duty to guide, instruct and to provide opportunity. Every now and then, the “parental prerogative” of “no, because” was required. But for the most part guiding by example and by parameters set by core values, my little Bees have learned to be their own “Beekeeper” of self and choice.

The Beekeeper series is intended to illustrate the confusion and fear generated by the buzz of expectations. And yet, living in the world and seeing the treasures that are at our very door step requires immersing self in the swirl of expectations—our own and that of others. The inquisitive and adventurous minds of the little bunnies of these stories are the treasures of the Beekeeper and to be nurtured. Learning to find balance among such confusing demands on self to be one way when the heart and mind sees another is no easy task for even big bunnies.

I hope that the Beekeeper series becomes a light to insight and acceptance of self and a guide to cherishing the best kind of “bee” to be.

– The BeeKeeper