I’m reasonably sure that everyone who comes to Alaska would like to see a bear. I love watching them. Bears are amazing, majestic, and fascinating creatures. I’m grateful that I have seen them as often as I have, and even more grateful that I will see them many more times in the future.
The problem is not the enjoyment of bears and bear viewing. The problem is when you go out determined to see a bear, or several bears. Or when you go out thinking that the only thing that will make the day complete is to see a bear.
In my 5 summers in Southeast Alaska, I’ve been asked every conceivable (and many just plain stupid) questions about bears. When do they come out? What time do we feed them? (Excuse me, but it’s PSA time – DO NOT FEED BEARS! FEEDING BEARS IS BAD! A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR!)
Ahem, so back to my post.
What’s so bad about seeking the bear, you ask.
When the only thing you want to see is a bear, you miss out on the glory of everything else you see.
As humans, we’re programmed to reach for the biggest, best, shiniest thing we can get our grubby hands on. Why relish the time spent watching ground squirrels – which are fascinating little critters – when we can be disappointed that we didn’t see a bear?
Do we really think the smaller things are less worthy than the big, once-in-a-lifetime moments? I think that’s backward – the everyday things are the ones we should appreciate the most just because those are the things we experience on a daily basis. Flowers in the garden, salmon in the stream, bears at the birdfeeder…these are all moments to be appreciated for the blessing that they are.
I appreciate every opportunity I have to experience the beauty of nature from the feel of grass on my bare feet when I water the garden to my recent time spent watching a lynx hunt in the scrub on the side of the highway. I love to see bears, wolves, lynx, moose…any and all of the mega fauna if I’m being completely honest. But I’m not disappointed when I only see ground squirrels. Or a porcupine. Or maybe a sunset or a field of wildflowers.
As a photographer, I go out into the world with the attitude of finding something to take photos of. I don’t go out with the idea of dictating exactly what I will see, or will a specific plan to take photos of certain animals or locations. I admit, I would like being able to know ahead of time which animals will be where because then I would always be prepared with the proper lenses and tripod (because I never have the correct long lens when I need it). Still, never knowing what will be waiting for me but expecting something unspecific but great is the attitude that leads me to some of my best photos and experiences.
It’s not that I think people should stop seeking the bear. If you want to see one, then by all means look for bears. Just keep your eyes open and appreciate the rest of what the world has to offer. There are many other fascinating creatures in the world than bears.
On my mother’s first visit to Alaska, she and I walked a short distance down some of the trails near the visitor’s center at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. We ventured out hoping we would be lucky enough to have a bear sighting, since the sockeye were still running in the streams there. We did not see a bear, but we had a great time watching the ducks and salmon that we did see. Salmon are amazing creatures. Watching them battle the water to find their way up the creek to their spawning places fills me with awe. They’re going through something far worse than most humans ever experience – and they’re doing it so they can spawn and die. How can someone watch that without feeling a sense of reverence for the natural world? Worse, how can someone witness the salmon run and feel only disappointment because there are no bears there?
I talk about seeking the bear. I do mean actual bears, but I also mean the other times when we humans get so hung up on the perfect job/relationship/car/bright shiny whatever. We’re so busy looking out for the one big thing that we don’t appreciate the job/people/cars/bright shiny whatevers that we already have in our lives.
Finding the big things is great. Focusing on the big things to the extent that we fail to see the small things in front of us is not so great. I can find small things to appreciate every single day while the big things happen much less frequently. I always appreciate them when they happen, but I refuse to live my life around the expectation of seeing the bear. I might see the bear, and I might not. My choice is to live in happiness and gratitude regardless.
