LIKE A BUZZING BEE

It's early morning.  The sun is just thinking of rising over the Bull Mountains.  A fresh tingle still lingers in the air.  The earth is fragrant with the night's passing.

I want to just relax into the newness of today.  Peace all around.  Joy internal and everlasting.  I am one with my world.

My hand lightly examines petals of the flowers as I float around the garden:  marigolds, petunias, day lilies, even some nasturtium for our salads.  They too lift their faces to the morning air.  It is as natural as breathing.  We are in sync, the flowers and I.

A loose petal droops and I reach to snip it.  A low hum begins in the distance.  I pay no mind; continue my path of examine, support, make better the way of growth for each plant.

Without much notice, the hum gets closer, now much higher in tone, starting and stopping.  A bee that is out for its morning fill of nectar from my blooms in the garden.

Before long, the bee seems irritated and begins to buzz closer to my ear.  I swat the air and begin to back away.  It doesn't give up -- and follows me.  Even using my hat to swat it doesn't discourage him.

I sit in the shade on the swing hanging from a tree limb.  Trying to recapture the peace of my morning.  But the bee's high irritating noise soon follows, now circling my head.  Swatting is of no use.

I head for the barn.  The familiar smell of hay can divert attention and may give relief from this constant irritant.  But it's no good.  The buzzing becomes louder, closer still.

Must I give up on my sense of peace?  Is there no end to this intrusion?  Will it never stop?

It even follows me through the screen door into my kitchen.  I m angry.  Frustrated.  And ready to scream!  Just go away.

My morning, my day, is ruined.  What was peaceful has now disintegrated into anger, yelling, constant swatting in the air that has absolutely no effect.  This buzzing in my ear -- all I want to do is make it stop!  How long, how long will this go on?

This is my life today.  Poor bee.  He's done nothing to deserve the analogy to Donald J. Trump and his tweets.  It isn't just the noise he makes which has disrupted my peace and comfort.  His actions, the actions of this overgrown, unmitigated disaster is now destroying our world as we know it -- causing real death and real destruction.

I see it.  I hear it.  I can't deal with it.  I wrap my head in distraction.  I cover my ears.  I close my eyes.  I dive into a world of no politics.  Just pickleball.

I swat my paddle to hit the hole-y ball.  Much of the time, I'm on target.  The thwack of ball meeting paddle is enormously satisfying.  Even moreso when the ball sails right by my opponent and bounces in an open space, undeterred in its path to building my score.

This is my world -- most of the time,  This is my challenge:  how much can I control?  If I practice enough, if I try the same movement over and over, will it make a difference?  Do I see improvement in my skills?  Very, very slowly, it happens.  If I keep at it, not give up no matter how discouraged I get, I will become better and better.  Persistence pays off.

One day, there will no longer be this irritant in my ear --these bloody tweets.  No such thing as a President Trump.  He will surely, inevitably, do himself in.

Meanwhile, as with any unmitigated disaster, he changes our world, ruins our peace, and has absolutely no clue.  All I want?  Go away.  Just go away.