Hibernation

Thank you for joining in the Bear Hunt!

 

With restrictions easing, the call for bear hunts has evaporated.

Children are back to school and childcare, 

so the Bears of Stone Place have decided it is time to hibernate.

But...before you go, let me share a story. 

This is a story written by one of the old people who share the house 

with the Bears of Stone Place

Dedicated to 

the children and families who went on Bear Hunts during the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020

and to

 emergency workers worldwide.

 

No Ordinary Time

In a time not so long ago, people stayed home. Many got sick and some even died.

It was no ordinary time.

Somewhere in this ‘stay at home’ world, not far from a large city, a beam of joy shimmered through the trees into Stone Place. This was no ordinary street. This was the home of the Bears of Stone Place.

 From a dark cupboard unopened for years, six eyes of three once loved bears, peered out and scampered into the garden. The word was out, they were needed. Children were off on bear hunts!

Big Ted, Blue Ted and Dorothy were no ordinary bears. While other bears seemed stuck, staring in one abode, the Bears of Stone Place appeared in unexpected places.

   

Some days they played.

Other days there was work to be done.

There were times to celebrate                                                            

…and times to create and build.

 

There were days to be quiet 

and days to perform.

And of course, some days were not ordinary days at all!

For months excited chatter drifted through the air as families took their essential exercise through Stone Place. Big Ted, Blue Ted and Dorothy reminded people to stay active, learn new skills, be persistent, patient and playful. They provided a glimmer of warmth in this time of aloneness. Above all else, they brought something you could not buy, smiles.

Then came a time when ordinary days crept in. Two people could go visiting. The Bears of Stone Place painted keep stones to celebrate this milestone and hid them for children and their families to find.

Weeks passed. The ordinary day stole back more and more time. There were more cars on the road, children went back to school, adults went back to work. Parks, cafes and libraries reopened. Families were no longer interested in bear hunts.

Storm clouds brewed and the beam of joy over Stone Place lost its sheen. 

Feeling despondent and lonely, Big Ted, Blue Ted and Dorothy plodded back to their cupboard and closed the door. Darkness became their blanket.

Ordinary was back. 

Laughter filled the old people’s house at the end of Stone Place.

“What are the bears doing today?” asked an excited 4 year old.

“Why don’t we find out,” said Grannie.

A shard of light caught the glint in Big Ted’s eye as they tumbled out of the cupboard into the laps of the waiting grandchildren. The Bears of Stone Place were hugged, dragged around in box cars, taken on camping trips and invited to morning tea. The beam of joy once again shimmered through the trees as Big Ted, Blue Ted and Dorothy basked in the smiles and laughter of children.