E04: Helen Jukes − Reflections on beekeeping and on connecting to our surroundings

In this episode, I talk to writer and beekeeper Helen Jukes about her book "A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings". This first book of hers was listed as Book of the Year, Book of the Month or Book of the Week by various different outlets and was also shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag non-fiction award. Helen Jukes tells us how she got into beekeeping. We talk about how this experience has changed her perception of the world and her relationship with her surroundings. We also discuss how activities such as beekeeping can help us in slowing down and calming that inner drive to always be busy and productive.

00:01:15 Of becoming a beekeeper
00:07:25 Of teaching children not to be afraid of our natural surroundings and wild creatures
00:07:53 The outdoors as a dreamspace
00:09:10 Fostering a reciprocal relationship to the land and to wild creatures
00:11:40 Finding agency in our immediate surroundings
00:11:55 Reflections on beekeeping and our relationship to nature
00:15:23 How beekeeping can change our perception of our surroundings
00:19:15 Discovering interconnectedness by focusing on our immediate surroundings
00:23:20 Rethinking our role as keepers and stewards
00:27:12 Reflections on what we can give back to other living creatures
00:31:57 Of being guided by the bees in learning about beekeeping
00:36:10 Of writing "A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings"
00:40:35 Writing as a means of reflecting about the world
00:42:50 Closing questions