I think of myself as a honeybee. I flit from project to project, from book to book, from household task to household task like a little bee collecting nectar. Sometimes I start cleaning intending to do an entire floor and switch to something new after finishing one room. Often a distraction becomes the next project. Hey, that door is absolutely grimy; get out the soap and water and give it a good cleaning. And then there are the minor disasters like opening the refrigerator and having a jar of soup water fall out and shatter like last night while I was fixing dinner. (I don't waste anything including the water left from steaming vegetables or cooking potatoes. They make great soup stock.) Clean that up and move on to something else or just pick up the glass, cover the mess with towels and clean it up after dinner which is what I did.
My frittering ways include books. I have four going right now not counting the spiritual books I use for prayer time. They include Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy, Pio Nono about the papal reign of Pius IX, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey which will fulfill one of the squares on my granddaughter's book bingo card (a book on leadership), and Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton. I only have a few essays left in Trifles so maybe I'll finish that book today which will fill in another square: Read a book that came out in weekly installments. If you haven't read Trifles, many of the essays are a good introduction to Chesterton who can turn very ordinary events into fascinating and thought-provoking meditations. Some are light, some are serious, some are rather creepy like The Diabolist. They are all short.
This morning as I read a bit from Covey's book, I came across this:
In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do. We all know it. There are people we trust absolutely because we know their character. Whether they're eloquent or not, whether they have the human relations techniques or not, we trust them, and we work successfully with them.
In the words of William George Jordan, "Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil -- the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be."
Covey was comparing the Personality Ethic vs. Character Ethic. Think of the personality gurus vs. those who are less charismatic but have more integrity. Who comes to mind? Some of the monsters of history I imagine. Hitler certainly displayed spellbinding and hypnotic attraction. And, of course, many entertainment idols. It's more difficult to think of the saints who attracted crowds. Their virtues were often hidden, like St. Therese of Lisieux.
Ah, but alas...now I want to more about Stephen Covey. This will no doubt send me on an internet search to discover his background, religious beliefs, family situation, etc. The honeybee is moving to another flower.
It occurs to me that honeybees are never bored. They are too busy working. They also dance so, while it's easy to imagine that they never have any fun, I beg to differ. Besides, work can also be play. Does the honeybee look at the flower and choose one over another? They can discern color. Did you ever wonder why beekeepers wear white? It's certainly better than black which I know firsthand from being stung through my black socks. They know that some predators are black like skunks and bears.
Well, I've meandered around on this subject enough. It's time to flit onto another adventure of the day. I think I'll go out and pick up pinecones, twigs and other yard debris and say hello to my chickens and bees. It looks to be a lovely day for outside meandering and meditating.
Enjoy your day, wherever it takes you.
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