Buddy Up and Reclaim Your Calm

HEY, THERE!

It feels like a collective season of struggle. 

Friends have lost jobs and their homes. Family members are constantly sick.

A breakup that once seemed impossible is now on the table. 

Uncertainty is at an all-time high. 

This is the season teddy bears were made for: To soak up our angst and, most of all, our fear. 

Fear that makes us doubt ourselves and our fellow humans. 

“Doubt,” someone said this week, “is a form of procrastination.” 

And like fear, it’s a momentum killer.

But stand firm, friends.

Grab your bears, hold them tight and dip into their wellspring of joy.

Joy is resistance. Hugging your bear and receiving joy is action. 

Action sparks change.

So don’t forget to live and love - in spite of the struggle and uncertainty.

Joy is also a fact.  

And if we actively embrace it  - with our bears - we will harness the strength to weather all that rattles this big, wide world.

As a dear friend reminded me Friday:

WE get to write the story, too.

Next up in this issue:

• Two global icons - in photography and bear-making - partner

• 4 things to do to reclaim your calm (bears included)

• Wanted: Bear escapades

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LINKS
TEDDY BEARS IN PUBLIC

 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY 

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first mass-produced 35mm camera, Leica partnered with brands known for craftsmanship and quality. That includes German bear-maker, Steiff. (PetaPixel)

📺 TELEVISION

Popular British series, The Repair Shop, fixed a guest’s beloved teddy bear who was his constant companion during childhood Polio treatments. (Nottingham Post)

🐻  HISTORY

A deep dive into the Teddy Bear Panic of 1907 when teddy bears were “public enemy number one,” according to the Reverend Michael Esper. (Mental Floss)

🇫🇷  LANGUAGE (FRANCE)

Why using this cute cultural reference about Care Bears is not a compliment when speaking French. (The Connexion)

DEEP DIVE
4 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR BEAR TO RECLAIM YOUR CALM

If last month had you feeling like you were drinking from a fire hose of What the he. . . Have Mercy!, it’s time to grab your bear and get comfortable.

Read on for 4 things you can do with your bear to reclaim your calm. 

1. LISTEN TO MUSIC

Pop in your AirPods or lock those noise canceling headphones in place and turn on your favorite playlist.

Crank it if you like it loud while you scream along to the lyrics. Ella Fitzgerald works at that volume, too. (S’Wonderful and Something’s Gotta Give are favorites.)

The songs remind me of cosy days in my first apartment in the city where I landed a dream job. And the times my gram and I would swing dance in her West Philly kitchen.

See, music is a Time Machine to the moments that helped shape the current you. A song can put you in your feelings and help you figure them out. 

Listening to your favorite album is an escape and sometimes, that’s what we need most when actually leaving is not an option.  

And where is your bear?

Right there with you.

Tucked under an arm or behind your head like a pillow.

2. PUT TOGETHER A PUZZLE

Clear a table and pull out that 500 or 1,000 piece puzzle you haven’t cracked open since quarantine. Even better, leave it out as a reminder you need to take hands-on mental breaks. 

Pausing and focusing on one thing - looking for the right piece and then snapping it in place, isn’t just relaxing.

It’s satisfying.

That buzz of accomplishment compounds as you work towards your larger goal of finishing the puzzle.

Turn on some background music to set the mood and pull your bear onto your lap. 

Or perhaps they’re better at holding up the box top so you can plot your puzzle course. Sitting your bear off to the side, but in view, also works.

The point is, you’re together.

Sometimes, silent companionship is the better medicine.

3. WRITE IN A JOURNAL 

Writing down the thoughts running around your head gives them a destination and gets them off the loop of repetition. 

It’s the same when you hug a bear.

The built-in comfort supply interrupts wayward thoughts, melts worries and boosts your mood.

So let’s combine the two for maximum impact. 

• Grab your paper journal, your bear and snuggle up in a quiet spot.

• Set a timer for two minutes and write whatever is on your mind. 

• Forget about spelling, punctuation and whether any of it makes sense. 

This free write isn’t about making it make sense. It’s about emptying your brain, stream-of-conscious style. 

DO THIS BY HAND. 

The pen-to-paper connection is an underrated practice and release. 

I spent 20 years as a journalist, working across multiple formats as technology evolved and story delivery changed. 

Whatever the changes, I faithfully kept my “manual” writing habit, outlining stories in notebooks, on the backs of envelopes or napkins when inspiration hit late at night. 

Multimedia projects and magazine spreads were also sketched out and organized in the same way. Often, with my bear Albert serving as my “table” as I scribbled before bed. 

So I would remember the idea that solved my quandary of which story angle to take or how to best use a collection of bad photos in an important layout. 

Sometimes your solution won’t be obvious and you’ll need to simply write, release and close your journal after the timer buzzes. 

But more often than not, you will feel as if you’re on to something when you activate your own AI brain with pen in hand and your bear on deck. 

Repeat as needed. 

4. DOODLE AWAY 

Doodling is the drawn version of a timed free write. 

You can do it anywhere and many of us did back in grade school or even in last week’s staff meeting that went on way too long. 

If you like symmetry, you can pick your shape to draw and repeat as a pattern.

Squiggles are fun, too, and double as wrist exercises. 

Here, as with the free write, you’re not chasing perfection. You’re putting in free-flowing, creative reps for calming effect. 

Your bear can be your easel or an supportive spectator.

THE WHO OF YOU
WANTED: BEAR ESCAPADES 

If you’ve been around, you know we believe a bear is WHO, not a what.

Now we want to hear all about your One Good Road Buddy.  

How did you meet?

Who made your bear? 

What impact has your road buddy had on your life? 

Whatever the case, we’ll have our popcorn ready for the tales and escapades coming our way. 

But don’t think you need a grand story that spans decades. 

Tiny tales are welcome, too. 

We’ll feature your stories here and on our upcoming podcast. (Who doesn’t love a good teddy bear backstory, right?)

Hit reply and tell us your teddy bear story. Or, forward this to the bear lovers in your life.