Did you know that bumble bees live underground?

We don’t have bumble bees in Australia and I’ve never really learned about this part of their lives. Here I am sitting In my friend’s garden in Saarbrücken, enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine, the sight of colourful blooms, their scent carried to me by the light breeze when I noticed a bumble bee circling the grounds next to my chair. It hesitates, then disappears into a hole I didn’t realise was there.

The next thing I knew, an entire family emerges, a large round one first, I am guessing one of the parents, followed by three smaller bees. They danced around me, one of the little one got curious and closed in, kissed my arm and traced all the way up to my hair before flying off to the distant apple tree.

For the next 30 mins, I watched as the family go in and out of their little enclave, their hind legs bulky with bright yellow pollen.

Cue: Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli’s version of PERFECT.

It’s amazing what you notice when you just stop and observe, what little things delight you in such a big way.

At this time of the year, it’s not just the bumble bees. Birds big and small are actively feeding their young and the air is filled with smaller bugs trying to make the most out of their very short lives.

I watched as other bees dance around roses, unable to penetrate their layers of petal and so move onto flowers that are more open and accessible, leaving the rose alone to display its own elegant brilliance.

Humans on the other hand, would have been more forceful. We have tendency to want to pry open what’s inaccessible, just to see what treasures lie beneath. We are unable to take beauty as it is, believing that something more valuable must exist under the surface. Hence, we dig, blast and peel away the thing that makes something beautiful in the hopes of finding gems, minerals and oil.

Forget the fast cars, the luxury apartments, the designer shoes and diamond rings – shouldn’t we all just stop and cherish these small moments of beauty? Modern life has clouded our eyes noticing the little things that make this world beautiful and make our lives rich.

We forget the little things that make us happy.

It’s watching a bumble bee family get on with their day; it’s watching busy bird parents with their beaks full of bugs ready to feed; it’s the flutter of butterfly wings brush against your skin and it’s the smell of garden flowers carried over by the breeze.

It’s the sunrise and sunset outside the window; it’s the sun breaking through rain clouds. It’s a sky full of stars on a clear night’s day.

It’s the smile across the room; it’s finally finding out that they feel the same way; it’s the touch of the finger tips before the interlacing of your hands.

Quanto ti ho aspettato
Perché tu stasera sei perfetta per me

Life’s full of these little moments of happiness. We just have to learn to stop, breath and watch the bumble bees dance.