Bee The one

Honey For the Heart - 8

A Drizzle of Raw Honey 🍯
All around us are people we love — family, friends, those closest to our hearts. And yet, how often do we really look beyond their smiles? Do we pause to wonder what might lie beneath the brave front they wear? Are we attuned enough to sense the weight behind their laughter…the quiet ache hidden in their words? This piece is a gentle nudge — a reminder to notice. To be present not just in moments of joy, but in the silences too. And to ask ourselves, honestly: If someone we love were quietly slipping beneath the surface… would we see it in time? Would we dive in — in time — to save them? Sometimes, one act of truly showing up… is all it takes to bring someone back to breath.

Lying on his back with one leg lazily over the other, Bumble-the-bear was completely immersed in the Woods’ weekly newspaper — so much so that he didn’t notice Piggy sneak up and tickle his ear with a feather.

“Heyy, you got me!” Bumble chuckled. “Piggy, want to hear a true story?”

“Umm mm… I’m always all in for true stories!”

Bumble began,

“A girl was drowning.
In front of thousands of spectators.
And no one noticed.
No one — except her.

It was June 2022, at the World Championships in Budapest. Anita Álvarez, an American artistic swimmer with Mexican roots, was performing a flawless routine.

Everyone watched in awe.
But when her performance ended…
she didn’t come up for air.”

Bear’s voice softened.

“She had lost consciousness. Her body floated for a moment, then began to sink — slowly — all the way to the bottom of the pool.”

Piggy’s paw flew to his mouth.

“No one in the audience noticed.
Not even the judges.
They were still clapping.

But her coach — Andrea Fuentes — felt something amiss.
She knew Anita.
Knew exactly how long it took her to surface.
She felt it in her heart — something was wrong.
Without thinking twice, she dove in — clothes, shoes, everything on — and swam straight down. She grabbed Anita by the waist… and pulled her back up.”

“She saved her life.” Piggy whispered, “That’s… brave.”

Bear nodded.
“But it made me wonder, Piggy…Who in our lives notices when we’re slipping — even when we’re smiling? Who would dive in for us, without hesitation, when we no longer have the strength to come up for air?”

“And more importantly,” Bear added, “would we be that person for someone else?

Are we present enough to sense when our loved ones start to sink? Or are we just another spectator, clapping, not realizing…inside they’re dying?”

Piggy leaned gently against him.

“In this life,” Bear said softly, “we all need someone who doesn’t just see us, but notices us. Someone who knows when we’re about to give up…and has the courage to jump in, pull us up, hold us close — until we can breathe again.”

Hearing this, piggy wrapped his tiny arms around Bear’s neck, and softly gruntled, “I’ll always BEE there for you, Bumble… always.”