Routine, Habit or Cycle?

Human nature, we have our own routines and we actually function better day to day when we keep a routine. We know that children do better in school with routine bed times. Yes, to get enough sleep for the body to be rested the next day, but keeping a same routine helps the children sleep better, then they wake better all rested. Getting up at the same time in the morning, the body works in a cycle so eating at around the same time, sleeping and waking help the physical body function better. Even the digestive system will function better with a routine. The routine may vary with Seasons, the sun shines for more hours in the Summer, but even in Alaska with the "land of the midnight sun", people have to darken the house for a good night sleep.

Nature has its routines also. But, is Nature's routine a cycle and what is the difference? A routine is described as, "habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure the routine of factory work" or"A set of customary or unchanging and often mechanically performed activities or procedures". A cycle is, "noun any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated. a round of years or a recurring period of time, especially one in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals. any long period of years". When does a routine become a habit? A habit, "Habits are routines and things that we do on a regular basis, some knowingly and some unknowingly. They keep you going when you want to get things done but you are low on motivation. It's easier to do something if it's a regular habit." Nature has its habits, routines and cycles just like people. The wild turkeys come down from roosting in the trees every morning around 7 am, even when its light out around 5. the silly birds walk a routine path around the neighborhood each day and circle back to the roosting area by evening around 7pm.

the bears wake up early Spring, close to when the snow is melting, but there can still be snow when they awake, its not the weather its associated with how long they can hibernate and need nourishment and when it is available for a meal again. They migrate through out the Spring and Summer season with the abundance of food source, they know when the salmon run, they know when the berries ripen. Animals moving around to a natural event, is this a cycle or a habit?

Setting up trail cameras and watching for signs such as footprints in the dirt, torn up embankments with large paw indentations and......yes, poop, the bears have a routine. They cross the road coming up from the creek almost the same time every morning in close to the same spot. They head out to the same clearings year after year for food and come back out the same time in the evening. The hotter days do not seem to bother them, or the rain. Weather is not a factor, the berries ripen the same time every year and the fish run up stream the same time year after year. The fish run we call a cycle.

I find no surprise the bear knows when to return for berries after all the bear is highly intelligent. Bear Intelligence Many wildlife biologists consider bears to be one of the most intelligent megafaunas. Bears possess the largest and most complex brains relative to the size of any land mammal. In the animal kingdom, their intelligence compares with that of higher primates. If you seek the bear for a "spirit animal there is meaning, "Bear Symbolism & Meaning

Do you need some rest and relaxation, or has life lost a bit of its sweetness? Is it time to stand tall and face potential threats without fear? Bear, as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal, can help! Bear teaches you to trust your instincts and let go of all that blocks your path. Delve deeply in Bear symbolism and meaning to find out how this Animal Spirit Guide can support, strengthen, and empower you.

Because you’re seeking the teachings of Bear Medicine, it’s a sign your higher self is preparing you for a position of leadership – if only in your own life."

Humans are much like natures creatures, after all we are one of them, we survive and function better if we keep our routines and habits to natural cycles of the Earth around us. If you can learn an animals habits and cycles, you have a better chance of capturing it in the wild. So we can understand each other better when we understand others routines and the bear is no different.