Once upon a time there was a bear forest. As the name suggests, only bears lived there. Both small and large. They lived there in large families. They did everything together. They gathered food supplies together, hibernated together, and helped each other build dens. And when spring came, they helc various races and competitions to entertain themselves and stretch their muscles after a long winter rest.
That year was no different. As soon as the bears woke up after a long winter, stretched, rubbed their eyes, they started thinking about what races to organize. After a while, they agreed that this spring there would be an obstacle course. They would run from the first tree in the forest through the cave around the bear rock and under the broken branches back to the first tree. Everyone was happy that they had agreed so quickly and were in complete agreement.
Now all the bear competitors had time to prepare. Before the obstacle course could take place, they had to train a little and build up their energy and strength. So they all started looking for the best food in the forest. One bear ate forest fruits and another looked for hidden mushrooms and roots. But among all these bears, there was one who had his own special method. He found trash cans and picked out all the unhealthy things from them. Leftover cakes and cookies and basically all the leftovers that people had thrown away. He collected everything, sat down under a tree, and just stuffed himself.
A black bear was running around him. He was training for a race and trying to run as fast as he could. But when he saw his bear friend sitting and eating sweets, he stopped and said, “What are you doing? You’re not going to finish the obstacle course like this. You can’t. Your stomach will hurt. It’s unhealthy.” “Maybe unhealthy, but very sweet. And that’s worth it,” replied the greedy bear under the tree, licking his whole mouth. The black bear just shook his head and said, “I warned you.” And then he ran on.
After some time, the big day arrived — the day of the obstacle course. All the bear competitors gathered at the starting line by the first tree. The black bear and the greedy bear who had eaten all the garbage stood side by side. Everyone was tense, waiting for the signal. At last, the race began.
Everyone tried their best. They jumped over pinecones, ran through caves, and took turns. But after a while, something happened. The greedy bear began to slow down. He clutched his stomach and struggled to breathe. He felt sick. All the treats and unhealthy food shifted in his stomach and weighed him down. Finally, he sat by a rock in pain, unable to go on. At that moment, the black bear ran past. At first, he sped by, but then he felt sorry for his friend. He turned back, helped the greedy bear up, and supported him all the way to the finish line.
Even though the black bear had trained hard and eaten healthily, he didn’t win the race. But he felt good that he hadn’t left his friend behind, knowing that helping him was the greatest reward. And the greedy bear? He was grateful the black bear had come back for him, and he knew it was only thanks to his friend that he had reached the finish line. From that day on, he never forgot that stuffing himself with sweets was not good for him.