The Bee Test
The other day I was about to leave on a hike when suddenly a massive bee, the size of a baby carrot, came flying up to me. The wings were flapping so fast they created their own wind, and the accompanying sound too was quite something.
Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out. To make matters worse, it wouldn’t let up. It stuck around or near me for at least two minutes. But I kept saying to myself to stay calm. To simply focus on breathing calmly, and that by doing so the bee would fly away.
It was pretty tough to do, I must say. Multiple times I felt the urge to try and squash or otherwise grab the bee, but multiple times I knew that would be the exact opposite of what you should do.
I wanted to head out on the road, but I knew that if I let my impatience get the better of me, that things may not go as smoothly as they could.
So I trusted myself. I focused on maintaining a constant calm breath, and I just let the be bee.
Sure enough, the bee eventually got tired and realised I had nothing they needed and flew away. It was a very good experience, and I’m glad I was able to prove to myself that when necessary, I can stay calm under pressure.
Thanks Mr. Bee.
MOUNTAINS OF WISDOM
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Sakata City, Yamagata, Japan