Stock Leader
Bears are extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
When I was a young man in my my 61st year in 1985,I ran in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. Prior to the race all contestants were warned about accidental encounters with bears on the 42K race course, segments of which meandered through woods and an old Army tank trail. One of the contestants was a grand lady, Marcie Trent, an Anchorage resident, who bested all women in her age group and many who were in younger age groups. Knowing I was unfamiliar with Alaska, she iterated that warning to me before the race began and told me how careful she was when in the vicinity of bears.
Several years ago I read a tiny item, datelined Anchorage, in the Washington Post. It told about the death of Mrs. Trent, who was killed while trying to save her grandson who was being mauled by a bear. It is a sad story but true.
The moral of the story, from which young and old may benefit, generally the young, because they may not have had the experience, and particularly the young who are patronizing and condescending of elders, is that anything connected with a bear is something to fear, including a bear market. It may be banal, but it is worth saying, "When you wish for something, be very careful what you wish, you might get it."
SI Sy |
