Journal 2

Once upon a time there was a bear and a squirrel. They both lived in the same woods and knew of one another but they never saw each other or dealt with one another because the bear lived in a cave and the squirrel lived in a tree. This system worked for both of them and they never crossed paths until one day in the middle of summer.

The friendly bear was roaming around in the woods when he came across the tree that the squirrel lived in. Up in the branches there was a huge beehive full of honey and once the bear saw it he began to climb the tree in pursuit of the hive. Now the squirrel who lived in the tree had no interest in the beehive because he did not particularly like honey, and he had started to become annoyed by the constant buzzing that the bees in the beehive were always making. Still, though, the squirrel in question was a selfish squirrel and when he saw that the bear was in pursuit of the honey in his tree he began to get very angry. Soon he went to his secret stash of acorns and various nuts and began throwing them at the bear as he climbed the tree. The bear, of course, became very upset with the acorns being thrown at his head and ceased climbing the tree. Although he knew that the squirrel did not want the honey, he still went about his way searching for another beehive for his afternoon snack.

Not too long later, the tree that the squirrel lived in was cut down by men looking for lumber in the woods. Without anywhere to go, the squirrel went off in search of another place to stay because all the other trees were already occupied by squirrel. Normally the other squirrels would have welcomed him with open arms, but this squirrel had a reputation for not being too nice to the other squirrels, so none of them welcomed him very kindly.

Soon it was dusk and the squirrel still had no place to sleep for the night. Desperate for shelter, he stepped into a cave that he happened to come across through the last rays of light. When he walked in he saw that it was the home of the bear that he had so selfishly sent away when he wanted the honey from the squirrel's tree. The bear recognized the squirrel as well and was about to send him away, but he then realized that this was his opportunity to be the bigger woodland animal. So the bear graciously showed hospitality and allowed the squirrel to stay in his cave until he could find a new home. Because he was so moved by the hospitality of the bear, the squirrel was forever changed, and as he went out looking for a new home he spread the story of how kind the bear had been to him. And from that day forward the squirrel never again turned away someone that he was in any way capable of helping.