1. Wrap yourself in many leaves
2. Avoid fast, large, metal things
3. Know where clumps of soothing moss are
4. Befriend many rocks
5. Never follow or emulate any of Rob (the Squirrel)’s advice, anecdotes, rants, suggestions, dares, doomsday scenarios, aggressive slurs, etc.
6. Drink lots of water
7. But not too much water
8. Do not drown
9. Never initiate conflict with a tree
10. Respect fish and their space (they will bite)
11. Bite fish carefully (they have sharp insides)
12. Remember: most sticks are sharp
13. So are rabbit skeletons
14. Do not take more than you deserve (the forest has a way of making sure it is always balanced and how it does so is not always pleasant)
15. Do not get tangled up in spools of fishing line, shredded tents, garbage bags, hammocks, etc.
16. Beware of loud sounds as they often belong to large things (refer to tip 2)
17. Do not die
18. Do not fall over
19. Do not stand on your head for more than a few seconds
20. Learn Spanish
21. Claws and eyes do not mix; keep them separated
22. Do not jump out of trees
23. Not all dirt is soft
24. Eat when you are hungry
25. Do not threaten lightning
26. Make peace with your enemies
27. But not with the deer across the river
28. Be wary of the deer across the river
29. Do not befriend the deer across the river
30. Smite the deer across the river
31. Find out where the deer across the river lives
32. Exact revenge against the deer across the river
33. Make the deer across the river atone for his sins
34. Do not feel bad about what happens to the deer across the river; he deserves this
35. …He deserves all of this…
36. Remain silent as often as possible
37. Bees are not food
38. Snakes are not sticks; do not try to scratch your back with them
39. Snakes are also not rabbits; they do not wish to be petted
40. Do not pet too many rabbits (this can create rival factions within the rabbit community that can lead to a lot of animosity toward you; remember, if you cannot pet them all, do not pet most of them and leave because you want to take a nap)
41. Some leaves can make you itchy; do not touch them
42. Always bring a towel, or fur and sticks stitched together in a rectangular shape
43. Never exact revenge
44. Unless you are exacting revenge against the deer across the river
45. Carefully exact your revenge against the deer across the river
46. Wait
47. Maybe this is not right
48. Maybe you should forgive the deer across the river
49. No
50. Never forgive the deer across the river
51. Make sure your toes get wet once in awhile
52. What did the deer across the river ever do to you?
53. It must have been awful
54. It made you angry and spiteful for such a long time
55. Do not chew on rocks for too long
56. But did the deer do something so unforgivable that you feel revenge is justified?
57. Maybe
58. Be rational
59. Of course not
60. Avoid ticks when possible
61. Regard tip 26 once more
62. Also regard rule 40 once more because it is important enough to repeat
63. Try to understand the deer across the river
64. Understand that shadows do not stay in the same place for long so move with them when necessary
65. The deer across the river is another forest creature just like you, it is vulnerable to the elements just like you, it feels and has friends and eats berries just like you, it has horns, which is weird and a little unsettling, but you cannot let those pointy sticks on his narrow head give you the impression that he is not a capable and decent animal, deserving of love and compassion and, most importantly, forgiveness
66. Forgive the deer across the river
67. He spat at you when you tried to forgive him?
68. Why?
69. Why do that, deer?
70. Eat grass whenever possible (it is good for the stomach and tastes like lovely dirt)
71. Deer, how could you do this? How could you slap the paws of forgiveness?
72. Stop the cycle of violence and misunderstanding that runs rampant throughout the forest
73. Trust lizards
74. Accept the negative response and be okay with your inability to control the deer across the river
75. Try to find a new river so you can avoid the deer across the river
76. Name trees when you can, but also be respectful of trees who already have names (sorry about the misunderstanding, Stephen)
77. There is no new river
78. That was the only river
79. The deer is still there, across the river
80. Do not make eye contact with the deer across the river
81. Just drink your water and go
82. This is not so bad
83. It is actually peaceful
84. The deer keeps making terrible hacking sounds, but they do not seem to be directed at you for once
85. Enjoy this time
86. It might not last forever
87. He is looking at you
88. Staring
89. Stop it
90. Please, deer
91. Please
92. Try to remember where you bury important things since finding them again can be very difficult
93. Stare back
94. Show some teeth?
95. Yeah, show the teeth
96. No, wait, do not threaten the deer across the river
97. You must learn to live with this awful creature who makes awful hacking sounds with its silly narrow head
98. Forgive the deer across the river, just do it
99. Live peacefully with the deer
100. Keep your teeth clean by chewing on loose sticks you find

Thank you for reading my 100 tips on how to stay safe in the forest.

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?