Lonesome for Bears A Woman's Journey in the Tracks of the Wilderness by Linda Jo Hunter

$19.95

Paperback

We have been camped on this remote Baja point for a month now. It is interesting how little a person needs to be happy. We shower in four gallons of water for two people and eat fish out of the sea.  We spend days in the water and on the beach ever fascinated by the wind, tides and plentiful wildlife from scorpions to whales. But even more interesting is how much a human needs to be comfortable.  Just now a sea lion surfaced in the surf right outside our camp.  Nature has given the sea lion everything he needs to live, and be comfortable and hence happy in his world. But man needs shoes, clothes and we have evolved to like our food cooked. In order to play in the waves like the dolphins we need a surfboard, wet suit, wax and a leash, sunscreen, visors, and cool flashy surf trunks.  We could play in the waves naked it is true, but we have evolved to wanting things. Our freedom is compromised by the need for things and yet we must have them to go as fast as we want, to be as warm as we need to be and to feed ourselves in a way we can enjoy. If we had flipper feet, warm fur and the ability to eat fish raw we would not have camp chores in the morning of getting water, filling the sun shower, disposing of our human waste and trash and keeping the sand and bugs out of our sleeping place.  Even though I am happier with a minimalist lifestyle, I am still a victim of comfort. I like having binoculars to enhance my distance vision. I like my food cooked with appropriate spices and sauces. I enjoy my afternoon tea and my glass of wine with dinner. I really need my art supplies and my camera for personal expression and who can do without their laptop anyway?  This Thanksgiving I will be thankful for my good health and the things I have that make me comfortable, but I can’t help but be sad that the human need for things seems to be the one factor in the world that is also destroying our planet in leaps and bounds. The sad notes to this beautiful beach world are the birds with oil and net pieces caught on them. The plastic things that wash up on the beach and the gringos around here who are buying up pieces of land like they were the latest in espresso drinks and putting up fences. Ah, the human need for THINGS will also be our undoing.