Dancing with Bees: A Tale of Wonder and Rediscovery

Did you know bees dance? As a child, I intuitively knew they could. I witnessed it with my own eyes.

But my adult brain forgot or dismissed the notion as “ridiculous or childish.”

I was maybe four or five years old, looking up at the eaves on the side of our house on McArthur Street.

I watched with fascination as the bees circled around, and I swayed to their rhythm, giggling and feeling like I was part of their dance.

I saw them and I believed they saw me too. We were connected, dancing this beautiful choreography together. It was a magical moment, filled with an innocent joy that only a child can truly experience.

I was too young to be self-conscious. Too young to question if it was just my imagination. I was fully in the moment.

It wasn’t until I was 58 years old that I came across an article about dancing bees.

It’s a scientific fact that they perform a choreographed dance. It’s called the Waggle Dance, a complex and beautiful form of animal communication, conveying details about the direction, distance, and quality of a food source.

As I read the article, I was shocked. My mind instantly took me back to my childhood memory.

Had I actually danced with the bees? Had they invited me in? What could this mean? The realization brought me to the edge of tears—tears of both joy and sadness as I reflected on the lost connection.

I stopped dancing with the bees so long ago. Now I only saw them as something to avoid, something that could sting me, something to protect myself against.

What happened? When did that change? Did the bees change? Did I change?

Was my dance with the bees real or not? I’ll never know for sure. What I do know for sure is that I’m open to the possibility.

I will be on the lookout once again for the dancing bees. I won’t run away out of fear. I will pause, take the chance, and dance with them once more if I’m so lucky.

I will look beyond the dancing bees for all of the enchanting moments and connections that await. They’re everywhere if we allow ourselves to see them.

Thank you, my dancing bees, for the reminder to not miss any of the beauty and wonder this precious life has to offer.