The Benefits of Eating from a Jar of Honey

June is the month of the honey moon. Custom holds that this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives. In some traditions, honey symbolizes love and fertility. During the first month of married life, newlywed couples were fed food and beverages containing honey to encourage love and fertility. Today, we honor this tradition in the name given to the "honeymoon" which is celebrated immediately after the wedding ceremony.

Newlyweds or not, we could all benefit from more of this golden elixir in celebration of life and love. Try adding some to your tea or toast this month or give jars of it away to your friends, family, newlywed couples or anyone that could use a little sweetness in their life.

I think that we all need reminders from time to time that there is a greater purpose to our lives than working 50-60 hours a week (or more) to pay the bills. I believe that given the choice most people really want to live according to their priorities. However, when reviewing where their time is spent it is often out of alignment with what is important to them.

One reason that many continue to live out of integrity with their priorities is that we have all been hypnotized by our culture to believe that this is "just the way it is," "we have to," or "we can't." We no longer feel we have control over our time or, the right to make decisions based on what is important to us.

It takes courage to be conscious of your choices and to take action to bring your life back into integrity. After all, you may risk people not liking you for standing up for yourself. You may even risk losing a job if you set limits and no longer sacrifice your life to work. Still, there are many people who have paid a high price in lost families and loved ones because they were too busy making a living and not living a life.

It's not easy to change the course you have been on. I can tell you from experience that, for most people, just the thought alone is really scary. Fortunately, there are many people who have opted out of the work-centered life and who are now on a path to living more wholly and authentically; expanding the definition of a job to encompass their whole lives as well. You may have even come across a few in your travels. They appear more alive, their shoulders are relaxed, there is life in their eyes and they smile easily.

Perhaps they are eating more often from the jar of honey.

Nancy Bishop is a life coach. She specializes in coaching women through midlife transitions. She publishes a monthly newsletter for people who want to live more authentically. For more information visit http://www.yourlifeyourway.com