Random Helping #150: Of Weeding, Honeybees and Rezeki
I was doing some weeding earlier this afternoon, after my mother requested that both my brother and I pull out the weeds crawling out from the pipes and the cracks of the tiles because they were becoming really unsightly. Since my brother had to go out and get some meds for my mother, I decided to "do the honour", considering it's been a pretty slow day and I didn't even feel like doing anything in my room.
Equipped with a pair of doctor's rubber gloves that I purchased for RM5-for-5-pairs-per-pack from Daiso, I stepped outside and was greeted by grey clouds and a gust of wind. Wanted to clean the picnic mats I brought for Bon Odori yesterday because they got pretty dirty due to the wet terrain at the stadium, thanks to the evening shower. Considering that both of my mats were ruined (half of the lining came off), I decided to ditch that and threw them away before I began my mission.
I successfully cleared the weeds that were crawling out of the pipe and the crack of the tiles near the porch, which only leaves a bed of weed that lay sprawled in the open area near the gates to my house. Thinking that clearing that bed of weed would be a piece of cake, I approached it and was about to grab the entire thing when something caught my eyes:
Two honeybees collecting nectar from the small flowers that were growing from the bed of weed.
I was so fascinated by them that I continued to observe them. It was my very first time seeing honeybees buzzing around before my eyes and I honestly never expected that they would be so small. I continued to observe as the honeybees buzzed from one flower to another, diligently collecting nectar before occasionally buzzing back to the same flower they were collecting from before.
Being scared of bees, I decided to pull out the weed bit by bit, carefully avoiding the parts where the bees were going about doing their business. As I was pulling out the weed, I continued to observe the bees, going back and forth from each flower to another, relentlessly collecting the nectar despite the strong wind. It was during this observation that a thought came to mind:
God has prepared a share of wealth for these bees. Surely even I have the chance of finding and enjoying my share of rezeki.
I was going through a pretty rough week, especially after learning that there's almost slim to no chance of being taken in as a permanent staff for the job that I enjoy doing. Plus, my training's about to end in a month's time and the reality has yet to sink in for me. My friends and family were sympathetic and have been really supportive but I still had a hard time accepting it. It felt like my future's looking a little bleak and I've been feeling so helpless. There's also that peer pressure because almost everyone my age already has a stable income and earning for themselves while I'm still struggling. My left eye stings so much whenever I blink because I've been spending my nights crying myself to sleep. I felt nothing but crushed hopes and dreams. I felt... numb.
Until this afternoon. When I observed the bees relentlessly flying against the strong gust of wind in order to collect the nectar from each flower to another. Plus, the flowers that they were collecting the nectar from weren't fancy ones like roses or lilies or tulips. They were mere weed flowers. Yet, they still managed to collect a bounty for themselves.
If God had already prepared a bounty for these tiny bees, even in the form of weed flowers, then who's to say that He hasn't prepared a bounty of my own somewhere out there in this world, perhaps in a different form?
My tears streamed down my face as I thought about it. I started to feel a brand-new hope blossoming within me. The fear is still present, but the new found hope is beginning to outshine that fear, little by little. I know I can do this. I just need to get up and let go of my inhibitions to take that first step once more. A sense of peace that I had longed for for the past one week began to wash over me.
Sure, I may not get what I initially wanted but I can only hope that the path that I have yet to carve will offer even better things in life for me in the future. Based on the anecdotes I heard from my friends, Insha-Allah, things will turn out better in the future than the bleak sadness I went through this week. I pray.
And I'm ready to seize what few days I have left of my training and try to make the best out of them! Carpe diem!
See, who says non-human creatures can't teach you valuable lessons? ;)
Equipped with a pair of doctor's rubber gloves that I purchased for RM5-for-5-pairs-per-pack from Daiso, I stepped outside and was greeted by grey clouds and a gust of wind. Wanted to clean the picnic mats I brought for Bon Odori yesterday because they got pretty dirty due to the wet terrain at the stadium, thanks to the evening shower. Considering that both of my mats were ruined (half of the lining came off), I decided to ditch that and threw them away before I began my mission.
I successfully cleared the weeds that were crawling out of the pipe and the crack of the tiles near the porch, which only leaves a bed of weed that lay sprawled in the open area near the gates to my house. Thinking that clearing that bed of weed would be a piece of cake, I approached it and was about to grab the entire thing when something caught my eyes:
Two honeybees collecting nectar from the small flowers that were growing from the bed of weed.
I was so fascinated by them that I continued to observe them. It was my very first time seeing honeybees buzzing around before my eyes and I honestly never expected that they would be so small. I continued to observe as the honeybees buzzed from one flower to another, diligently collecting nectar before occasionally buzzing back to the same flower they were collecting from before.
Being scared of bees, I decided to pull out the weed bit by bit, carefully avoiding the parts where the bees were going about doing their business. As I was pulling out the weed, I continued to observe the bees, going back and forth from each flower to another, relentlessly collecting the nectar despite the strong wind. It was during this observation that a thought came to mind:
God has prepared a share of wealth for these bees. Surely even I have the chance of finding and enjoying my share of rezeki.
I was going through a pretty rough week, especially after learning that there's almost slim to no chance of being taken in as a permanent staff for the job that I enjoy doing. Plus, my training's about to end in a month's time and the reality has yet to sink in for me. My friends and family were sympathetic and have been really supportive but I still had a hard time accepting it. It felt like my future's looking a little bleak and I've been feeling so helpless. There's also that peer pressure because almost everyone my age already has a stable income and earning for themselves while I'm still struggling. My left eye stings so much whenever I blink because I've been spending my nights crying myself to sleep. I felt nothing but crushed hopes and dreams. I felt... numb.
Until this afternoon. When I observed the bees relentlessly flying against the strong gust of wind in order to collect the nectar from each flower to another. Plus, the flowers that they were collecting the nectar from weren't fancy ones like roses or lilies or tulips. They were mere weed flowers. Yet, they still managed to collect a bounty for themselves.
If God had already prepared a bounty for these tiny bees, even in the form of weed flowers, then who's to say that He hasn't prepared a bounty of my own somewhere out there in this world, perhaps in a different form?
My tears streamed down my face as I thought about it. I started to feel a brand-new hope blossoming within me. The fear is still present, but the new found hope is beginning to outshine that fear, little by little. I know I can do this. I just need to get up and let go of my inhibitions to take that first step once more. A sense of peace that I had longed for for the past one week began to wash over me.
Sure, I may not get what I initially wanted but I can only hope that the path that I have yet to carve will offer even better things in life for me in the future. Based on the anecdotes I heard from my friends, Insha-Allah, things will turn out better in the future than the bleak sadness I went through this week. I pray.
And I'm ready to seize what few days I have left of my training and try to make the best out of them! Carpe diem!
See, who says non-human creatures can't teach you valuable lessons? ;)