There's a small white bear in this picture wearing leather flight goggles, and he is riding a wooden horse across an autumn field like he has somewhere important to be. The horse is a toy, all carved curves and a stick mane, and the bear holds on with both paws, ears back, absolutely committed. The field is drawn in soft creams and tans, with round little trees marching to the horizon and a few red leaves caught mid-fall. Clouds drift overhead, puffy and unconcerned. I think about the kid who drew this, or the kid it was drawn for, and how a stick horse and a pair of goggles can be a whole afternoon. Nothing here costs anything. That's the beauty. The bear's eyes are two calm dots. He believes in the journey. Maybe that's enough for any of us. Believe in the ride, even when the horse is wood and the road is paper. The goggles have a little strap under his chin and the lenses glow soft orange. Behind him the trees are round as lollipops. Some days I want to be that bear. Small mission. Full commitment. A paper road is still a road. #bear #woodenhorse #autumnfield #childhood
