There are so many things in the forest. Some are terrifying (shadows, bees, loud sounds, the flat black rock). Some are horrible (deer across the river). Most, however, are terrific (napping, caves, trees, grass, the moon, the sky, rain, smells, creatures who are nice, dumpsters, abandoned campsites, fish, the river, leaves, sticks, logs, tree stumps, berries, sounds).

With so many wonderful things to experience and enjoy in the forest, I like to sometimes think about what some of the best things in the forest are. I decided to make a list of the best things the forest has to offer. I narrowed everything down to just five:

5: Water

Water is wonderful. You can drink it. You can soak your fur in it. You can swim in it. Fish live in it. You can feel its cool streams rushing through your individual hairs as you shake to dry after a nice dip.

Water is so refreshing. It makes you feel better when you feel tired. It can also make you drown. I once saw a raccoon floating in the river and when I asked the raccoon why it was floating and whether or not that was a fun thing to do it did not respond and its nose was in the water and when I realized what was happening I panicked and splashed and thrashed in the water and tried to run but I stumbled and fell in a deeper part of the river and I thought I would end up like the raccoon so I thrashed more and more and escaped.

4: Trees

Tall. Majestic. Wise. These are just a few words that you could use to describe the presence of trees in the forest. The forest is practically defined by the presence of trees, and you can learn so much from them.

Creatures live in trees. I once tried to live in a tree. I fell out, but that was not the tree’s fault. It was my fault for being too large for the tree branch I climbed, and when I landed, I did not see the raccoon who was beneath me. Was the raccoon like that before I fell? Did I cause how it ended up? I am so sorry, raccoon. Please forgive me.

3: The wind

The only thing that feels better running through your fur than water is the wind. It carries your spirit just as quickly as it carries the leaves and the debris of the forest. The wind cannot hurt anything. Nothing can be hurt by the wind. The wind is so very nice. Unless it could knock a raccoon out of a tree? Is that possible? Can the wind be that strong? No, of course not.

2: Sitting in a tree, protecting a raccoon you just met

This raccoon will be absolutely fine forever. I will sit in this tree for as long as I need to sit in this tree to make sure the wind does not affect this raccoon’s life in any manner. This raccoon will be safe.

1: This raccoon I just met

Please stop hissing at me. I am here to protect you. Please. Oh no, the wind. Please. No.

I am a bear.

If you would like to try being a bear, why not read some of the bear adventures available on this very site? 

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