Click here to listen to Episode 51: A Little Pot of Honey.
This past weekend, I extracted about two gallons of honey from the hive I have at our house. This is the third year I have had a hive, a hobby that emerged during COVID, and I was pretty excited to get such a healthy haul this year particularly since there was a moment in March where it didn’t even look like I’d have bees.
The hive had swarmed, something I have learned through experience these past few years is very common, and I was debating whether or not to purchase a nuc – or nucleus colony – from a professional beekeeper to restart the hive. I was dragging my feet a little, not sure that I wanted to invest the time or money this year, and then I actually forgot about it with all the other things happening at school in the Spring.
One day in late April, Carla said, “Hey, I didn’t know you had purchased bees this Spring. “ I looked at her, “Huh?” And then went out to look. Lo and behold, there were bees in the hive. Clearly, a swarm from somewhere in our vicinity had found my bee boxes and happily settled into it for their new home. Over the summer, I periodically checked in on them although, for the most part, I just left them alone in their new digs. Finally, in early September, I went into the hive and was thrilled to see that there was ample honey for me to extract – while still leaving them ample stores for the winter. Thus, the two gallons of honey now sitting in 1 quart mason jars on our kitchen shelves.
I was thinking a lot this weekend about the beautiful serendipity of this volunteer hive. I’m a planner by nature – one of my favorite things is creating strategic visions for the school – and yet it reminded me that while we often strive to design and manage every moment of our lives and, just as importantly, our children’s lives, we also need to make space for the unexpected and embrace those moments as they arise.
Here’s hoping that each of you find your own little unexpected pot of honey this week.