Hubby had some work presentations and other things he needed to do for work after dinner last night. So while hubby was doing his work things, I occupied at the dining room table scrolling through funny otter memes on Substack.
The time got away from me, and it got dark outside. I always bring the hummingbird feeders in before it gets dark each night. But I was distracted and didn’t realize it was dark already.
A strange sound caught my attention. That sounds like the hummingbird feeder. I glanced up and looked over to where the hummingbird feeder hangs outside.
That’s funny … I couldn’t really see it. Usually the dining room lights are so bright they shine through the window enough to see the hummingbird feeder.
Something was definitely going at the hummingbird feeder … I could hear the feeder swaying around.
I walked right over to the widow and stared hard out at it … but the only thing I could see was a light-colored object flapping away. Did a squirrel come down off the roof and is a squirrel hanging onto the feeder drinking out of it??
I turned on the back floodlights … and …
Whoa!
That light-colored object flapping away was the bear’s tongue busily lapping up the sugar-water from the feeder!
What was so astonishing is that the dining room lights were on and I had been sitting right there at the dining room table that whole time when the bear had walked right up, climbed up on top of the woodbox, and began guzzling the feeder.
Not only that, when we did realize the bear was guzzling the feeder, both hubby and I were standing right there at the window – only a couple feet away – directly in front of the bear – and this did not phase the bear at all. Completely unphased! Ok … that is not cool. That’s frightening that the bear is so completely comfortable being all up in our personal space right in front of us.
Not only that … what if the bear had accidentally slipped and fallen into the window?? That window is not the strongest A bear that big would easily crash right through that window into our house, if it accidentally fell into the window. That’s not cool! That’s frightening to think about.
Once the exhilaration and adrenaline wore off, it was rather frightening to both hubby and me. That bear should not be that comfortable all up in our personal space. If it comes back during the daytime to raid the feeders, I’m going to have to stop putting the feeders out altogether. Which would be really sad. Because I love watching the hummingbirds.
But we can’t be attracting the bear to come around all the time. That simply is not safe.
It has been almost two months since the bear last raided the hummingbird feeders. For almost two months now I have been faithfully bringing the feeders inside every night. And to be honest, it’s a hassle.
Sometimes, just like last night, time gets away from me and it’s hard to remember to bring them inside before it gets dark.
Throughout the past two months I have often wondered: “Does this even matter??”
It is such a hassle every night. Does it even matter??
I never see the bear. For all these years we’ve lived in our home in the forest, we’ve only ever seen the bear a total of maybe 2 or 3 times. So, night after night after night of bringing the feeders inside – does it even matter?? Is it really necessary?? Is it even worth all the hassle??
Last night confirmed loud and clear: Yes! Yes it matters!
Yes, the bear has indeed been wandering about checking to see if the feeders are out. Even if I have not seen a thing … the bear has been watching.
Another thing last night confirmed: The bear has been watching hubby and me at night, from the darkness of outside, when we are inside and don’t think there’s anything out there. The bear has been watching from the forest.
We don’t have any window coverings over the back windows of the house because it’s just the forest back there and nobody can see in anyway. Nighttime falls, and everything gets dark and black outside the windows. We can’t see a thing outside. But that doesn’t mean the forest creatures aren’t watching us in our brightly lit inside.
Obviously the bear knows exactly who we are … if both hubby and I could stand mere feet away – just on the other side of the window – directly in front of the bear as it guzzled the feeder. Obviously, the bear knows who we are and has been watching us, even though we haven’t been able to see it.
When it comes to life itself … there are people who are watching our life. We have no idea who they are … but they are watching our life.
And also, when it comes to life itself … oftentimes it’s easy to wonder: “Does this even matter??”
That thing we are doing with our life that we think matters and is making a difference. Sometimes we get really discouraged and we question ourselves. We question if what we are doing even matters.
Yes! It does matter! It is making a difference!
Just like bringing the hummingbird feeders inside every night has been a hassle and is a lot of effort, with no obvious indication that it even matters … so also, when it comes to life itself there are things we are doing which are a hassle, they are a lot of effort, and there is no obvious indication that it is accomplishing anything at all.
Hang in there! Keep doing that thing you have been called to do.
It does matter! Even if we can’t see any evidence. It is making a difference!
