Why Less is More...

Today, I went on a field trip with my kindergarten-aged daughter to the cider mill. I must say that this is one of my favorite trips of the entire year. I love the smell of apples and donuts just made. If they could take that smell and truly capture it in a Yankee Candle (I know they have great scents, but nothing compares to the real deal), I would put them out of business.

But the real reason why I am writing is because of a fascinating bit of information I heard today: a worker bee produces one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in his lifetime. One twelfth. In an entire lifetime. I'm sure you've heard all of the old adages like, "Oh, aren't you a busy bee?". Who in the heck cares if they are busy if they don't really accomplish anything? Or do they?

They are, in fact, productive. And what they produce is perfect in its own rite. It is pure and simple. We're thinking quality here, not quantity.

It is inherent to the bee to make honey. The queen bee doesn't invite the worker bee over and say, "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna make some honey and bust your @#!*% for peanuts...okay, forget the peanuts, how about some pollen?". No. Work is in the bee's DNA. The bee was made to work, to create, and to do something of value.

I, too, was made to do these things. But I think my standards may be too high. I want to move mountains each and every day. I have a hundred and one things to do and I want to do them all perfectly...

But the life and determination of the bee sobers me. It inspires me to create something raw, beautiful, unblemished. And this something doesn't have to be over the top, but it does have to be genuine. Even if it is the very smallest feat, it need be honest. If it is a gesture, let it come from my core. If it is a touch, let it be deliberate and meaningful. If I produce something bursting with purity that equates to the bee's one twelfth of a teaspoon...well, I will take a deep breath and congratulate myself for a job well done.