“In this life, I’m a woman. In my next life, I’d Like to come back as a bear. When you are a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. Before you hibernate, you are supposed to eat yourself stupid. When you are a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you are sleeping and wake up to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. If you are a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. you swat away anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too.“

When I first read the prose above, I laughed out loud. It is only after more than two decades that I can claim to fully understand the underlying deep philosophy.

Navigating the challenges of life, relationships, and menopause, I have turned into what I expect bears to be. While I love most of humanity, over the years, my ability to ‘woe’manfully tolerate stupidity has atrophied considerably. I am often very crabby and judgmental. So, treat me like you would treat a bear – with care. Bears are neither mean nor malicious. They are tolerant and gentle animals until provoked. You know what not to do! Because I also want to swat people when I think they are out of line. Not my fault that so many people are out of line so very often!

Hibernation, overeating, growling at people – each idea sounds more delicious than the last. One should be granted the luxury of indulging oneself in these so necessary activities. Just dreaming about such a time makes me feel like the type of bear I would have liked to be: the teddy bear providing comfort to whoever may need it. God heard just the part about being a ‘bear’ and decided to let me become one based on my innate qualities. Ah well, a grizzly bear also gets to hibernate, eat and sleep.