MARCH 2, 2012 DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY ?

"Holding on to regret is like dragging the weight of the past with us everywhere we go."

Who wants to hold on to the past? Who wants to hold onto regret, resentment and anger? Certainly not ME! Today I know holding onto the past and any regrets associated with my past will only lead to disease. I see this in many patients I encounter. I do not want to get a chronic disease. No one wants to. But it happens. It has been shown in studies that anger, regrets and resentments lead to disease. Why hold on to it? There are so many unfortunates who cannot let it go.

Patients ask me, "How do you let it go? " I pray and meditate on it. I do not dwell on the regrets, resentments and the anger. Life is too short. Every single day is a blessing. It sounds so Pollyanna, but it is true. Unfortunately I have to see patients suffer from disease. I do not want them to also suffer from their regrets. All happens for a reason. You must believe this!

There is one regret you never have to worry about. This is the choice of a simple hobby to boost your self esteem. This should be a fun creative hobby. These hobbies not only boost self esteem but fill the time you wasted on those addictions. The addictions I call energy thieves. Your energy thief could be sugar, television, your iphone or the family drama.

I have many hobbies. Most of my hobbies are creative - card making, knitting, needle point and stamping. Others have included coin collecting. A hobby that involves both Rick and I is Beekeeping. The question is what do we do for our hobby from November to April? Our girls are hibernating and keeping warm for the spring and summer ahead. So what do we do? We read old and new bee books. We get ready to set up hives in schools in the New York City area. We educate ourselves more and spread the word everywhere. I even get to fit in a bee needle point now and then.

So are you ready to start beekeeping as your hobby? You have some basic reading to do.

Here are just a few:

1. ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture

2. The Beekeeper's Handbook

3. The Backyard Beekeeper

4. Natural Beekeeping

5. Better Bee Keeping

Rick and I have found each of these to be educating and a simple read. Just right for getting started. Of course, I went overboard and bought more and more. I started to collect first editions of bee keeping books for the glass encased library one day.

One book I thoroughly enjoyed is The Beekeeper's Lament. It tells the story of beekeeper John Miller and how one man and his half a billion bees feed America.

If you are thinking of becoming a beekeeper, take a course- http://www.honeybeelives.org/ or the beekeeping course at the NY Botanical Gardens (http://www.nybg.org/)

Your local Beekeeping Society is your best resource for the area you might live in.

By the way for New York City residents - Bee Keeping is LEGAL to do in NYC.

Until tomorrow...