Syrine Ben Ayed - Week 2 - Fearful Flight
We all know the paralyzing fear that grips you, as you recognize that ominous buzzing sound approaching. You scan your surroundings and spot the furry insect in flight, just mere feet away. You freeze in place, holding our breath, trembling, your face pale, overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom. Or maybe as a child, the image of screaming and wildly flailing your arms in a desperate attempt to ward off these winged monsters is a memory too vivid to forget. I was no different.
So, imagine my reaction, when twelve year old me stepped out into my backyard one morning to with the simple task of feeding my dog, to be greeted by what could only be described as a chorus of a million of the winged monsters. I froze in sheer terror, my heart racing as I cried out to my dad. To my shock and disbelief, he only stood next to me, lips curving upward in what seemed like a knowing smile.
In a panic, I hurried to my mom to report my dad’s apparent insanity. “He got us a pet hive!!!!! Not the chickens he promised… bees!!!!!!”
For the next year, I kept my distance from the hive. My brother, however, in response to our dad’s relentless persuasion, had stepped into the daunting endeavor. I watched, torn between equal fascination and terror, as I witnessed my brother’s “accidents” -- they were always followed with an agonized cry and my mom rushing downstairs to prepare the baking soda-and-vinegar panacea -- too many times. I made up my mind that I had no interest in sharing his experience with a swollen face or foot. I had no interest in getting close to the bees. I would leave the dirty work to my little brother and sit back and relish the fruits of their labor from a distance.
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Fast forward to February 19th, 2020…
As my family gathered in the cozy embrace of our living room, sharing jokes and laughter, the comforting scent of my blown-out candles lingered in the air. With a warm loving smile, my dad soon pulled out his gift, which I unwrapped with a growing anticipation and excitement. As I revealed the contents of the present, however, an unusual whirlwind of emotions overtook me in quick succession: surprise, confusion, a pang of hurt. Resting on my lap was a copy of “Bee Democracy” by Thomas D. Seeley–And a complete beekeeping suit. I remember kissing my dad and thanking him, all the while desperately trying to fight back tears.
In the weeks and months that followed, the bundle of thick white cotton canvas and mesh netting lay untouched. However, it appeared that it was only with time that my initial reluctance would soon give way to an insatiable curiosity and a desire to explore the enigmatic world of beekeeping that existed write outside the walls of my home.
As I slip into my beekeeping suit and approach the hives nestled in the corner of my backyard, I find myself liberated from the constraints of fear. The harmonious symphony of buzzing bees fills the air, their crescendo rising and falling as wafts of smoke drift towards their hive. Closing my eyes, I inhale the sweet aroma of honey and wax that envelops me like a warm embrace, a poignant reminder of the essence of courage and fearlessness, and the beauty in embracing every opportunity that life presents.
Hi Syrine! Your description of a childhood fear of bees was highly relatable for me, and in fact, I still am extremely uncomfortable around insects. I cannot imagine living anywhere near a beehive, much less having one in my backyard—it must have been tough for you to get used to having so many bees near you. On another topic, I thought it was really inspiring how you managed to conquer your fears and you now find beekeeping to be comforting (especially when you saw your brother getting stung multiple times), and it really inspires me to take similar steps in my own life. Overall, I found the structure of this blog post to be very captivating, since the introduction had so much tension and really got me interested in your story. You also had lots of details in the final paragraph that added to the emotion and effect of the blog as a whole.
ReplyDeleteHi Syrine! I can agree with your first paragraph, any experience involving bees tends to involve fear and, like you phrased it, a sense of overwhelming impending doom. It’s great that you learned to get over your fear of bees and interact with your bees more because it can be especially hard to get over a fear of animals. For example, I used to be terrified of the wild, ferocious dogs that my grandma owns, and over time I found that the situation was daunting because of how little information I had. After learning more about German Shepherds and how they behaved, I realized that the more I interacted with them, the less terrifying my fear would become. Now, I’ve gotten over my fear of large dog breeds, and I hope the information you got from the book your dad gifted you, “Bee Democracy” by Thomas Seeley, helped you get over your fear of bees as well. The elaborate and creative diction you used to describe your bees makes it much easier to imagine your bees and how they first terrified you, and I hope you continue to use creative imagery. Do your bees make honey, and do you have any favorite honey related desserts?
ReplyDeleteI feel like most people can relate to being scared of bees, whether it was years ago or now; even today, I still have a feeling of anxiety when I see or hear a bee. The way you described it -- the freezing in place, and holding your breath, is such an accurate description of what happens when I see a bee. When I first saw the title, "Fearful Flight," the first thing that came to my mind was my experience flying. I still remember that when I was five or six years old, I was so scared of getting on the plane that I would sometimes cause such a scene that airport security thought I was getting kidnapped. However, after getting on the plane for the first time, I realized that it was not that bad, and now I actually enjoy the longer plane rides over the shorter ones, simply because the longer flights get those movie screens. Overall, the structure of your story was very nice; it had your initial reaction to getting a beehive, the gift of the bee suit that helped you get over your fear, and your feeling nowadays around your bee hive. Is there anything you would like to share from the book "Bee Democracy" that might be helpful to those who are very very very scared of bees? (asking for a friend). Anyways, interesting and unique post! Never met someone who has a beehive in their backyard.
ReplyDeleteWhen you first told me your idea of what you wanted to write for this week's blog I didn't really think of how you could stretch it into an interesting read. But after reading the last 2 blog posts, I can say Syrine you are really good at writing, your descriptions of what you felt and storytelling draws me into your story. Anyways about the bees, I have a big fear of not just bees but most bugs and insects that I have not overcome. What I have overcome is my stage fright. In the beginning, I remember I would be shaking when I would get up stage to perform. But in 9th grade I got put into drama 1 as my elective, since freshmen have no priority for electives. At first I was scared of performing because I didn't want to get laughed at by my peers but then I realized that everyone had the same fear and I just needed to commit. After that realization it helped me overcome my fear a little but the main thing that helped was being exposed to my phobia like you how you overcame your fear of bees.
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