Wearing Many Hats, Some Of Them Covered In Bees

Narratively has a great series this week called Moonlighters, where writers and videographers are profiling people who live the work-work balance.

So far there’s been a pizza delivery guy who does porn (too perfect?), a non-profit intern who strips in a gentleman’s club at night, a former commodities trader who now works as a cab driver and a ghost tour guide, and my personal favorite, an amazing old man named Don Downs who is an electrician in Ohio by day and an apitherapist by night.

In practice, apitherapy means treating people — everything from broken bones, to allergies, to cancer — with pollen, honey, and bee stings. If you watch the video, you will first of all cover your mouth and say “Oh my goddddd,” out loud even if you are home alone, and then two, see him stick bee butts in a bunch of people’s decaying body parts. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. As for his method, imagine Edward Scissorhands if Johnny Depp was an elderly Midwesterner, and each of his scissor blades had tiny, live bees stuck to the ends of them.

In all seriousness, Don Downs the electrician/apitherapist seems really happy to be serving his community, and really, really loves his bees. I can only hope that one day I have an old woman hobby I feel so passionately about.

And tomorrow, Narratively is profiling a college student who took a summer job as a doorman. Yes, please!

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