Can Bees Fly in Rainstorms?

Why does snoop dog need an umbrella? 'fo drizzle.

Why do pinkies smile so much? There are so many reasons, as each of us describe every week on this blog. The mountains are indeed beautiful, and the spirit of scouting and international friendship is strong in the Kandersteg valley. But during my time here I have learned something else quite simple, yet powerful about smiles: they are, in fact, probably the most contagious influenza around.

I am a hike guide here at KISC, and I am lucky enough to spend every day exploring the alps, showing scouts from all over the world their beauty and teaching them a bit about leave no trace and how to take care of the natural environment. It's an awesome job, and I absolutely love it.

But, it is the Swiss alps. The hikes are long, challenging, with a lot of vertical meters and horizontal kilometers. Early wake ups are necessary, and often the weather decides to change from sun to rain, hail, freezing cold, and snow. In moments of tiredness or cold, most people's automatic reflex is not to smile. But as a pinkie I have learned that these are the most important moments to smile in.

Why?

Because smiles are contagious.

When it is hours into a hike and everyone is getting sore and tired and a cold front comes in and it starts to rain... if you still have a goofy grin on, or maybe start telling some rain jokes, everyone around you slowly starts to get a grin on as well. Maybe the grins around you begin as "wow you are crazy for being this enthusiastic right at this moment," but then the giggles become genuine and pure. And then your smile grows even bigger and then theirs does too and the mood completely changes from tired, cold, and wet to "oh man, this is awesome."

When you analyze this phenomena, it actually makes a lot of sense. When we feel happy, then we smile. Our brains associate smiling with happiness, they go hand in hand. It makes sense, then, that the logic travels in the opposite direction as well: when we smile, then we feel happy.

So in the tough moments when it is not a first instinct to smile, this is actually when we need to smile the most; this is how to bring the happy feels back.  If we remember, the people around us also remember. The smiles multiply.

And so on. One smile can change everything.

I will leave you with an infamous rain joke:
Can bees fly in rainstorms?
Not without their YELLOW JACKETS.

Rebecca (US)