Fall has arrived, marked by the cross quarter day of August 6th. I can feel the shift as the days shorten, school has started back, and the air feels a bit crisper and less humid in North Carolina. We are on journey down to the dark quiet stillness of winter. Since the summer solstice, I have marked Andres’ birthday, the anniversary of his death, and my son’s 6th birthday, the start of a new school year. It has been a time of transformation.
My son’s play never fails to awe me with how attuned he is to the underlying energy that is moving and cycling in our lives at any given moment. During this time his focus has been working with the element of fire as a ninja in training. Fire is an element that recently erupted into our consciousness.
On a recent exploration of the pond and creek behind our house with my son, we had an unexpected encounter, an intersection really, with a very fierce creature - yellow jacket bees. My son was playing with his ninja sword and disturbed a yellow jacket nest. I did not know what was going on. I only felt the sharp sting on my leg through my pants (yes, it stung me through my pants!). My son, first noticed them by a sting on his ear. Or at least one tried to sting the outer edge of his ear, but we later realized it was a failed attempt.
If it had not been for our neighbor who was with us, I would not have known what was happening or responded so quickly. He, thankfully, knew Gabriel had found a yellow jacket nest and directed us on exactly what to do. And I am absolutely sure that his help saved us from more stings. My son ended up with 3 bites, and I with 6.
Two traveled inside our house and into our bathroom in my son’s shirt. They were contained inside the bathroom, but I had to help them find their way back outside. I entered the bathroom with a mason jar and a stiff placemat, a laminated version of a world map. A world map my son loved to color in last year, identifying all the places he wanted to visit one day. I entered the room and said out loud, “I have no intention of harming you. I only want to gather you up and take you out to return to your own family.” It must have registered because it sat on the window pane, still and quiet and allowed me to scoop it up in my makeshift contraption and take it outside. The second one got caught between the window and the place mat. I am sad I broke my promise to remove it unharmed.
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