How I learned to never look a bear in the eyes

It has been almost six years since my wife and I moved to Lakeville. After years of surviving the hustle and bustle of New York, moving permanently to this beautiful town at the southern foothills of the Berkshires for us was like moving to paradise. Surrounded by beautiful trees, brooks, lakes and the chirps of the birds all around us made us feel so lucky and fortunate to finally end up in a place where we feel at home.

But from the first days of our move, there was almost like a folklorish tale of the different kinds of animals circling around the neighborhood. At times these animals made their presence become very obvious, as they barked, snorted, squeaked and growled, waking us up in a sort of panic and unease in the middle of the night. But none of those sounds of animals raised that mixture of fascination and fear  in me as when I first heard of the everyday and ongoing visits all around the town, by a very special and my most favorite of the animals, the bears. 

Bears, I should admit, have a special place in my heart. Something about the way they move and behave has a certain level of dream-like quality. And the bears have also captured the imagination of writers and artists throughout the ages, where they were portrayed as loving and warm-hearted creatures. The bears definitely have a special place in the myths, legends and folktales of many nationalities and cultures.

In most Native cultures, bears are considered to have magical powers for healing the ill. Bears have become symbols of strength and wisdom. The bears portrayed in the children’s books from “Winnie-the-Pooh” to Bill Martin Jr.’s, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”,  have for decades provided children and their parents with a sense of love, comfort and safety. 

Safety? Did I say, safety? Oh no. That’s exactly what seems to be the main reason for an occasional alarm in the neighborhood when a bear has been spotted either going through a garbage can or actually walking in through the front door and trashing every part of the house, causing alarm and despair. Through the entire last summer we heard stories of mama bear with her cubs standing right on the front lawn of a neighbor, or a bear smashing a mailbox in search of perhaps, a love letter? A sandwich?

Who knows? But the fact is that, in a few months, as the weather becomes warm and lively, the bears will wake up from their hibernation and come back and visit us again and again. Which brings me to the moment when I actually came face to face with a bear and had a very casual and most civilized encounter. 

It was the last week of July, when I was sitting in our backyard reading a book and I couldn’t believe my own eyes when I found myself just a few feet away from a giant of a bear casually strolling his way through our backyard.

To this day, I still cannot fathom how I was able to keep myself calm and relaxed. Although I did sense my heavy breathing and the beating of my heart, I did manage to not even show any kind of tension or uneasiness when facing this unexpected guest. The bear looked at me once, and then  passed behind the armchair and then the charcoal grill and not finding anything that would be of interest he proceeded toward the driveway.

But just before he approached the sidewalk, he stopped, turned around and for a few moments we had an eye contact. Yes, the bear and I gazed at each for some time, which seemed to be an eternity. Then, lowering his jaw towards the ground, the bear turned around and left our house and vanished like a ghost in a fairy tale.

Family members and friends reacted with alarm when I told them about my encounter with the bear. They advised me to always have a can of bear spray and a noise maker to protect myself. And my brother-in-law who lives in Florida was much more decisive when he promised to lend me his shotgun so I can shoot that “ugly beast” if he ever showed up again. 

I know, I should always be careful and take all the precautionary measures to protect myself, because, who knows, my next encounter with a bear might not be as congenial as this one. But, the memory of that special moment when I actually, yes, I did look at a bear right In the eyes, and the bear looked right in my eyes, will be a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Varoujan Froundjian is a digital artist and writer. He can be reached at: varlink3050@gmail.com.