JUNE 23, 2011 PART I: WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?

"PAIN IS INEVITABLE, SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL"

All of us at one time or another in our lives will have pain. Pain from any injury or even emotional pain from a loss of a loved one. I expect to have pain in my life. What I do about the pain is up to me. For a pain from injury, I will try every modality that I know to help relieve it. This can be medications (doubtful for me), herbs (more likely), acupuncture, prolotherapy, massage, dietary changes and even exercise changes.

As far as emotional pain- I also have been there. I have learned to deal with emotional pain. I do this by discussing the emotional pain with friends, a therapist and my own doctor. I also happen to be fortunate to have open communication with my life partner. Along with my prayer and meditation, this is one of the gifts from being in a 12 step program. I do not have to suffer today. I have a choice not to suffer. I do not have to be on the pity pot as in the past. I opt for a better life.

When you read, "Where Have All the flowers gone?" What do you think of? I guess it depends on how old you are. For me it reminds me of my childhood. I remember that song as if it were yesterday. I can still hear Pete Seeger singing it on stage. He wrote the first three verses. It was written in 1961.

The first verse:

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

The third verse:

Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

So many artists have recorded this song. For me the version I love is sung by Marlene Dietrich. She performed the song in English, French and German. She first performed the song in French in a 1962 Unicef concert.

Due to climate changes and human use of natural habitats, natural ecosystems are changing. There is a fall off in wildflowers at mid season. Therefore there is little food for the honeybees. The bees and the hummingbirds need the flowers, and the flowers also need the bees and the hummingbirds. In this mutual relationship, bees and hummingbirds get food from the flowers the flowers are pollinated by the visiting bees and hummingbirds. Without pollination, plants cannot reproduce.

David Inouye from the University of Michigan stated, "Shifts in flowers in mountain meadows could in turn affect the resources available to pollinators like bees."

Some have thought to create Bee Pastures. This sounds great. USDA entomologist, James Cane stated, "Let us create a pesticide-free pastures- maybe a half an acre." This would be a way to propagate more bees. Just plant pastures of bee-friendly wildflowers. An example in this article would be planting wildflowers to increase the number of blue orchard bees, Osmia lignaria.

The agricultural industry depends on the bees to pollinate the crops, especially the California almonds.

Get involved - take a bee course at http://www.honeybeelives.com/

Until tomorrow...