If I don’t poke the bear, 
it will continue to sleep.

If I shift my attention
to the light outside my cave, 
I can go about happily
as if there weren’t four hundred pounds 
of smelly, drooling, menacing fear in my abode. 

Just keep your distance, I remind myself daily. 

But life, that unpredictable, uncontrollable child, 
fears nothing. 

She can’t resist sinking her fingers into fur,
shouting in its ear.
Oh God, now she’s got a stick. 
She can’t wait to see the show. 

The bear is on its hind feet in seconds,
thrashing and ferocious.
But she just giggles and says, 
“Do it again.” 

She wants to play with it, 
play with us.

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
–Brené Brown, Dare to Lead

Credits and References:
European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) at Korkeasaari (Högholmen) Zoo in Helsinki by Arto Alanenpää. Wikipedia commons. 
Don’t Poke the Bear by Esther Hizsa, 2025.
Brown Bear by Brooke. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2025.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2025.  http://www.estherhizsa.com