Honeybees in Winter

My name, Melissa, means Honeybee. I've known this since I was a child. I didn't know, however, that it also means industrious. It makes sense, I think. I feel like I've always had a go-get-em attitude. I've always had something simmering on the back burner, never truly without a project. 

This winter has been dreary for me. Lonely, a bit. It's my first winter as an empty nester and while at times I have certainly struggled with the quiet, it is helping me learn to rest.  Honeybees rest in the winter months. They don't hibernate, but they huddle around their queen to keep her warm. The bees even alternate so they don't freeze, always rotating from the outside to the inside near the queen where its toasty warm. It's a genius plan! 

As industrious as I am, there are times when I forget to rest. As a writer, I'm in my head all day every day and I cannot describe to you how overwhelming that can be sometimes. Today, when it's too cold to go outside, when the wind is whipping and the snow is falling in sheets from the bleak sky, it's a great time to snap a picture and then crawl under a blanket with a good book. Or in my case, when I want a break from written words, I turn to old movies. Maybe not old old, but old to me. Old to us 80's babies. Classics like Dirty Dancing and Footloose. What a great day to eat peppermint patties and do a puzzle while I drool over Patrick. 

If you are looking for a great book recommendation, I know I'm biased, but I suggest my book, What I Didn't Do! It's a psychological thriller about a girl living in Bar Harbor, Maine, who is trying to help find girls who have gone missing over the years! It's a quick read, perfect for a snowy afternoon!