Once upon a time, there was a Bi-Polar Bear.
He liked to hide out in his cave. And sleep. And the cave was so dark, he even had trouble figuring out when he was sleeping versus when he was not sleeping. Just to be on the safe side, he figured he should stay put and act like he was sleeping, even if he was awake. This way, he would always get a good winter's sleep, even if he was awake.
Unfortunately for him, once upon a time there was also an annoying little Chipmunk. Also, unfortunately for him, they shared this story.
The Chipmunk liked exploring and one day lept into his cave.
She heard the Bear snoring and shifting, sounding like he was about to get up, but waiting for the sunlight to come streaming through his window. Not having a window in his cave, she knew he'd be waiting forever. So, just because she could, she began throwing acorns at him.
"Hey!!" He said in his big gruff voice.
"Hey!!" She said in her little squeaky voice.
"What are you doing??"
"I'm trying to wake you up!!"
"It's not working."
"So you talk in your sleep??"
"I'm not talking to anyone right now."
"You're talking to me."
"Harrumph," he said as he turned over.
She threw 3 acorns in a row right at him, just for good measure.
"What do you want from me?" He growled.
"I want you to get up and move around. Bears are notoriously good for digging up the ground as they walk. And revealing new acorns."
"I don't wanna walk around. Besides, I'm a Bipolar Bear, and this is the Arctic, there isn't any possibility of acorns here. And how did a Chipmunk like you get all the way up here?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, this isn't the Arctic. It's New York."
"Oh. I guess I lost my map. I'm supposed to sleep all winter, regardless. Wake me up when it's March."
"Well, as a matter of faaaaaaaaact," the Chipmunk said with a sigh, "It's May. MAY-be you lost your watch too!!" The Chipmunk giggled at her own pun.
He sat up and thought for second, a smile crossed his lips, despite himself. He still felt a strong, instinctive, inherent pull to stay curled up, asleep or not. He had wondered about hearing the sounds of boats and trains outside his cave, but had never bothered to investigate why the Amtrack trains had extended themselves up to the Arctic.
"You're just trying to get me to move for your own evil purposes!! You're just hungry!! Find some other Bear!"
"Actually, you may not remember this, but the last time we had this same discussion, you ended up laughing."
"I did? I don't remember."
There was a lot of stuff he tried to forget. And lots of other stuff he tried to remember. Unfortunately for him, he realized the stuff that was important was also the dangerous stuff. All the cliffs he had suddenly found himself looking over, the feeling of a vast emptiness that comes up on you when you are walking through the world. All the things he had ever lost, his favorite toys, his favorite family members. Bears don't have pockets, so they have to hold everything they own inside their minds. But for him it was not enough. He didn't spend his time thinking of pockets or baskets to wear as he walked around the woods. He thought of shelves that he would build inside his cave. A way to collect the world outside just for his cave. It was easier that way.
"Look, Bi-Polar Bears are notorious for living in either the Arctic or the Antarctic. We seldom hang out any closer to the equator. If we are anywhere in between, it usually means we are headed to one or the other. You probably don't want to get in the way. "
"Don't be mad at me for telling you where you are. You have an awful lot of rules in your head. Some of which involve things that aren't true. Come into the Sunshine. Come out and play with me, and then at the end of the day, you can come back here."
He sat up blinking, not responding. He couldn't come up with an argument, but he knew that he was big and stubborn, and this chipmunk was far too little to carry him away.
"Are you scared?"
More silence. This Chipmunk was really persistent. Maybe he SHOULD go outside the cave, show her how dangerous he could be. He could eat her, or step on her, even just by accident. He could get really mad, or maybe he'd start crying for no reason. He couldn't imagine that the Chipmunk would like what she saw, no matter what.
"You know, lots of us are scared for all sorts of reasons. It helps to be nice to all the other members of the forest. Especially with a big bright smile like yours. Some other creatures could sure use your help to get un-sad,"
"I can't even help myself, how am I supposed to help anyone else?"
"No offense, but I think you're using the wrong tools. Let's see, you've got inertia, ingrained negative habits and a lot of stored energy. What are you waiting for?"
He sat there thinking. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness. He wanted to go out, but he knew he couldn't. And he couldn't tell her why.
"Not today. It will happen. I PROMISE. In good time, it will."
He rolled over, and curled up in a little ball. Well, as little as a big Bear like him could get, and he waited for her to go away.
The Chipmunk shrugged her shoulders.
And hopped off to get more acorns.
He liked to hide out in his cave. And sleep. And the cave was so dark, he even had trouble figuring out when he was sleeping versus when he was not sleeping. Just to be on the safe side, he figured he should stay put and act like he was sleeping, even if he was awake. This way, he would always get a good winter's sleep, even if he was awake.
Unfortunately for him, once upon a time there was also an annoying little Chipmunk. Also, unfortunately for him, they shared this story.
The Chipmunk liked exploring and one day lept into his cave.
She heard the Bear snoring and shifting, sounding like he was about to get up, but waiting for the sunlight to come streaming through his window. Not having a window in his cave, she knew he'd be waiting forever. So, just because she could, she began throwing acorns at him.
"Hey!!" He said in his big gruff voice.
"Hey!!" She said in her little squeaky voice.
"What are you doing??"
"I'm trying to wake you up!!"
"It's not working."
"So you talk in your sleep??"
"I'm not talking to anyone right now."
"You're talking to me."
"Harrumph," he said as he turned over.
She threw 3 acorns in a row right at him, just for good measure.
"What do you want from me?" He growled.
"I want you to get up and move around. Bears are notoriously good for digging up the ground as they walk. And revealing new acorns."
"I don't wanna walk around. Besides, I'm a Bipolar Bear, and this is the Arctic, there isn't any possibility of acorns here. And how did a Chipmunk like you get all the way up here?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, this isn't the Arctic. It's New York."
"Oh. I guess I lost my map. I'm supposed to sleep all winter, regardless. Wake me up when it's March."
"Well, as a matter of faaaaaaaaact," the Chipmunk said with a sigh, "It's May. MAY-be you lost your watch too!!" The Chipmunk giggled at her own pun.
He sat up and thought for second, a smile crossed his lips, despite himself. He still felt a strong, instinctive, inherent pull to stay curled up, asleep or not. He had wondered about hearing the sounds of boats and trains outside his cave, but had never bothered to investigate why the Amtrack trains had extended themselves up to the Arctic.
"You're just trying to get me to move for your own evil purposes!! You're just hungry!! Find some other Bear!"
"Actually, you may not remember this, but the last time we had this same discussion, you ended up laughing."
"I did? I don't remember."
There was a lot of stuff he tried to forget. And lots of other stuff he tried to remember. Unfortunately for him, he realized the stuff that was important was also the dangerous stuff. All the cliffs he had suddenly found himself looking over, the feeling of a vast emptiness that comes up on you when you are walking through the world. All the things he had ever lost, his favorite toys, his favorite family members. Bears don't have pockets, so they have to hold everything they own inside their minds. But for him it was not enough. He didn't spend his time thinking of pockets or baskets to wear as he walked around the woods. He thought of shelves that he would build inside his cave. A way to collect the world outside just for his cave. It was easier that way.
"Look, Bi-Polar Bears are notorious for living in either the Arctic or the Antarctic. We seldom hang out any closer to the equator. If we are anywhere in between, it usually means we are headed to one or the other. You probably don't want to get in the way. "
"Don't be mad at me for telling you where you are. You have an awful lot of rules in your head. Some of which involve things that aren't true. Come into the Sunshine. Come out and play with me, and then at the end of the day, you can come back here."
He sat up blinking, not responding. He couldn't come up with an argument, but he knew that he was big and stubborn, and this chipmunk was far too little to carry him away.
"Are you scared?"
More silence. This Chipmunk was really persistent. Maybe he SHOULD go outside the cave, show her how dangerous he could be. He could eat her, or step on her, even just by accident. He could get really mad, or maybe he'd start crying for no reason. He couldn't imagine that the Chipmunk would like what she saw, no matter what.
"You know, lots of us are scared for all sorts of reasons. It helps to be nice to all the other members of the forest. Especially with a big bright smile like yours. Some other creatures could sure use your help to get un-sad,"
"I can't even help myself, how am I supposed to help anyone else?"
"No offense, but I think you're using the wrong tools. Let's see, you've got inertia, ingrained negative habits and a lot of stored energy. What are you waiting for?"
He sat there thinking. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness. He wanted to go out, but he knew he couldn't. And he couldn't tell her why.
"Not today. It will happen. I PROMISE. In good time, it will."
He rolled over, and curled up in a little ball. Well, as little as a big Bear like him could get, and he waited for her to go away.
The Chipmunk shrugged her shoulders.
And hopped off to get more acorns.
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