There was a bear in my neighbourhood last week.  It was a very big bear, most likely a Papa Bear.  Papa was doing what else but foraging for food … at 11:30 in the evening.  It must have been a midnight snack he was after.  Since tree fruit were far from ready, he sought something much riper.  In fact beyond ripe as he headed towards my neighbours’ compost cart.

Like we all do, early one morning each week, Papa bear maneuvered the cart down the driveway towards the curb but instead of setting it there for pick up, he proceeded to bring it to the middle of the road where he would have ample room to work and keep neighbours at bay.  Papa tried everything he could to open the cart which had been securely shut with two locking clips.  Although he succeeded in pulling out some tree clippings, his monster paws were just too big for the task.

Defeated by the cart, Papa left one lemon and numerous branches scattered about as he lumbered onwards to other homes in search of food.  Two lessons stand out for me here.  Number one: bears are smart, and number two: bears know when to quit.  We humans on the other hand are sometimes not as smart as we think.  Sometimes, we don’t know when to quit.  We may stress ourselves out at all costs trying to achieve a certain goal, perfection, or maintain ego.  Life is a humbling process as Papa Bear demonstrates.

If we take a lesson from Papa Bear, we know our limits and heed our inner alarm system when it is time to quit.  Accept that you have done all that you can for the moment and resort to plan B.  Employing an alternative approach or adopting a different goal is powerfully refreshing.

Bears always have a plan B, and C, and D, and E, F, G!  It is instinctive to them.  Follow your instincts and allow good judgement to guide you.  Self preservation is your reward, not to mention many more fruits in life just like Papa Bear.  You can tell he has earned many by the sheer size of his massive girth!