When she realized it was a bear instead of a man tapping at her bedroom window, a wave of strange relief came to her. Still there was fear, but the reasons a bear would try to get into her bedroom were straightforward and clear to her in a matter of a second. Maybe it was the fragrant lilies she bought every other week or the guarantied food waste in the house. Maybe there were honeybees in the walls, or the bear was simply curious at 3am. She could hear the local park rangers lists of reasons and advice to defend against a black bear. They don’t want to eat you and they have no reason to hurt you. Act larger than life and don’t run away. Stomp your feet, make loud noises. It would be rare for the 250-600 lb. animal to disrespect your space. They might even fear you.

The reasons a man would be trying to get into her room at 3 am were not straightforward and the possibilities are endless and unclear. It wouldn’t be for the fragrant lilies or food waste. Honeybees would not be detectable or of interest to a man. She didn’t want to consider what kind of curiosity would bring someone to her bedroom window at 3am.

In the Fall of 2022, when I was an Artist Fellow at Peter's Valley School of Craft, a black bear scratched and picked at my bedroom window at 3am. I had seen 20+ bears that year, and apart from the mother of four cubs, the bears would either run away or graze and forage uninterested by our meeting. The bear at my window broke the outer storm window and ran away after the glass fell on its back.

This year, the question was asked if you would rather be alone in the woods confronted by a man or a bear. I think I will always choose the bear.