Rainy day.
Which means no field work today.
And as it happened, it was Sunday.
So we took a little trip to Tobe.
Tobe is famous here in Ehime for its pottery, and way out in the countryside, we found a wonderful old traditional house that was once the home of a village headman.
There was a little market being held there, with all kinds of handmade crafts, delicious food, wood-fired bread, and more.
We went to see an artist friend of ours.
In one of the tatami rooms, with a traditional veranda where little kids could run around freely, we even had our portraits drawn.
Then, as we started talking with all kinds of people, we discovered something rather amazing:
Somehow, everyone seemed to be connected to someone else, somewhere.
“This is actually pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
We talked about that on the way home.
What stayed with me most was how wonderful everyone’s smiles were.
The food was wonderful.
The crafts were wonderful.
Everything was wonderful.
But I found myself thinking:
Maybe this is how we humans find a sense of calm and richness in our lives.
We use our hands. We make something. We taste something.
We experience something for ourselves.
We talk with people.
And somewhere along the way, we make a new connection with someone.
And then I thought…
Wait a minute.
Isn’t that exactly what we’re trying to create at BeeCamp?
Watching the honeybees.
Getting our hands—and sometimes our clothes—covered in mud in the garden.
Sitting down with someone over a cup of coffee and talking.
Meeting someone for the first time and somehow becoming friends before we even realize it.
Watching that little market today, I felt like I could see a glimpse of that future.
Hmm.
I guess BeeCamp is really not so different after all!