Do you remember the music video for the song “No Rain” by the band Blind Melon? If you don’t, don’t worry about it, it’s from the early 1990s. If you do, you know what I’m talking about when I say the words Bee Girl.
The music video features a little girl in a bee costume. She proudly performs a dance routine, but an audience boos her. She wanders around a city and performs her dance for different people. She then finds a gate. When she opens the gate, she sees other people dressed as bee costumes in a beautiful meadow. Bee Girl then dances happily with the other bee people. Throughout the video, we also see footage of the band Blind Melon.
As you can tell from this description, the music video is a little odd but very sweet. It was kind of surprising, then, when the lead singer of Blind Melon, Shannon Hoon, died of a cocaine overdose just a few years later. He was only twenty-eight years old.
While the music video highlighted pride, community, and overcoming obstacles, it appears that Hoon’s real life was quite different. Hoon had entered a few rehab programs but eventually succumbed to drugs.
It didn’t have to be that way for Hoon. It doesn’t have to be that way for anyone. Yes, people relapse. But that does not mean they should stop trying to become healthy.
Yes, becoming healthy is not easy. What’s that cliché? That nothing worthwhile is ever easy? While I’m not sure if that’s the case, working toward a healthier, more sober life is definitely worthwhile.
It’s a goal you don’t have to pursue alone. If you’re trying to become sober, you can find people to support you and your goals. Maybe you can be like Bee Girl and find people who embrace your uniqueness and your journey.
