Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Part of the Hive (Premium)

Episode Date: May 6, 2020

This is a preview episode. Get the full episode, and many more, ad free, on our supporter's feed: https://getsleepy.com/support. Part of the Hive  Narrated by Thomas Jones. Visit a bustling beehive and see life through the eyes of a worker bee.     About Get Sleepy Premium: Help support the podcast, and get: Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads) The exclusive Thursday night bonus episode Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free) Premium sleep meditations, extra-long episodes and more! We'll love you forever. ❤️ Get a 7 day free trial, and join the Get Sleepy community here https://getsleepy.com/support. And thank you so, so much.  Tom, and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more. And thank you so so much, me and the team really appreciate your support. A subtle buzz filled the air, eliminated from the hollow of a willow tree, where a sprawling green meadow met an old forest. The willow's drooping arms gave the impression that nature was tired, but that was just an illusion. The picturesque meadow was bustling with life, The picturesque meadows bustling with life. Fairy friends played in golden rays of sun, passing time leisurely as they searched for a

snack. Blossoms of all shapes, sizes and colours dotted the patchwork of grass. There were white ones with yellow centres, bright red ones, long purple ones, and many more, as if a giant had painted the field with a rainbow paintbrush, and they all swayed in harmony with the wind. harmony with the wind. But Bella didn't know any of this because she had never left the hive. That hollow spot in the Wallotry is the place she called home and what a home it was. From the outside, the hive looked like a bundle of pale, drying leaves that have been stuffed into a tree trunk. Only the most diligent eye would be able to spot the slightly different shade of brown.

The hive itself was made of hard yellow wax. An earlier generation of bees had made a huge amount of beeswax in a very short time with nectar and honey. Their bodies processed the food into fresh beeswax which formed into small white scales at the base of their tails. These B ancestors then chewed, shaped and sculpted the beeswax into the thousands of tiny hexagonal cavities that make up the interior of the hive. For that generation, it was their gift to the hive. A work of art, really, worthy of both practical and creative admiration. Bella appreciated the home they'd built. Every generation in hive history has left its mark, a benefit for the ones to follow.

And Bella knew that she would do the same. So far, Bella had spent her whole life buzzing around inside the hive. A little round body was covered in fuzzy black and yellow stripes, with six legs and two wierry antennae. As she fluttered from one part of the hive to another, going about her daily tasks, Bellis translucent wings moved so quickly that they appeared to blend. In such a thriving colony, order was critical. Every being the hive, from the queen all the way down to the youngest worker, had their role.

The workers made honey and took care of the larvae. The queen and the drones reproduced to ensure the hive's future. Together, the bees constructed a supportive society in which the greater good was more important than the individual desires of any one bee. Bella's daily responsibilities included sealing honey and feeding the drones. Once the honey was made, it also needed to be sealed for preservation and storage. Beller walked down row after row of honeycomb cavities. Each geometric cup was filled to the brim with shining golden sweetness. With a sip from her long straw-like tongue, Bella

tested the honey to make sure it was just right. It was perfectly sweetened, a flawless batch. To the untrained, all honey tasted pretty much the same. But in her time as a honey sealer, Bella her becomes somewhat of a connoisseur. Based on the honey's floral undertones, she could tell that it was made of nectar from fragrant wildflowers like poppy and primrose. She'd never seen these flowers with her own eyes, but the forage bees told her that they were beautiful.