Bear with me

Every grade schooler knows that bears hibernate for the winter. Like squirrels, they spend their autumnal days stuffing their faces like Trump Director of Communications Steven Cheung let loose at an All You Can Eat Chinese Restaurant. 

And come winter time they hole up in a cave comforted by collected twigs, moss and fallen leaves.

Many years have passed since we were told of their unusual sleeping habits. But what exactly is hibernation? I have come to learn that bears don't actually sleep, they go into a state of torpor, which is something akin to an induced coma. Body temp and heartbeat are lowered significantly so the bear, bears, do not suffer through the brutal conditions of winter.

Despite nosing around the internet I could not find the answer to my most pressing question concerning hibernation. I know bears shit in the woods, duh, but do they poop and pee during their hibernation. And wouldn't that wet the bed, as it were? 

I'm going to leave that here, dear reader. And should you be inclined, you can join me down this little rabbit hole and find out for yourself. Because that is the point of this post -- curiosity.

I'm in the middle of reading a very interesting book that I spotted at a very crunchy bookstore in San Francisco titled Wisdom Takes Work. Granted this is the type of dime store wisdom made accessible to the Tik Tok generation, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

Apparently curiosity, whether it be from a 7 year old or 67 year old, is one of the pillars of personal wisdom. And I'm told, the key to longevity.

Asking leads to answers, answers lead to more questions. From not knowing, we get to knowing, and eventually to the truth. We must ask questions when we are young , and we must remain humble  enough to ask them when we are old, powerful and well informed. Marcus Aurelius noted the way his predecessor as emperor and mentor over twenty years, asked, searching questions at meetings. And was almost never content with first impressions." 

Interestingly enough, the chapter about nurturing one's curiosity is followed by another on something called commonplaces. This was, and is, the practice of keeping notes, of storing thoughts, of committing pieces of knowledge to paper or papyrus. All done for the unknown purpose that lies ahead. 

Not that my desktop calendar, made ugly by coffee cup stains and scribbles that are often illegible, can hold a candle to the greats who have adopted this behavior, but it is part of my daily routine. And often serves to ameliorate my synapse-challenged memory.

Here, as a reward for reading to the end, is the answer provided by AI. You can thank me later.

Bet you didn't have fecal plug on your Bingo card of things you'd learn today.