Baxterbear - My Story, My 9 Philosophies, My Favourite Things and My Special Words

1. I try to have one thought at a time which is always a positive one.

2. I never hold a grudge because that part of my memory doesn’t work very well. Before a memory becomes a grudge it falls out of my head and when I don’t know what to say, I ‘save my breath to cool my porridge’.

3. I love the journey as much as the destination and I always try to find interesting things wherever I am. Although I love to travel and have adventures, I believe that coming home is the most exciting journey you can make.

4. I love people and wherever I travel I’m always amazed at the incredible things people can do when they believe and trust in themselves.

5. I love telling stories. Inside each one, even the very short ones, there is a lesson I learned that others can learn too.

6. I believe that it’s just fine to be different.

7. I have a strong character and I’m very supportive of others, but sometimes I too need help, no-one can be strong all the time. Besides, it’s a good thing to give your friends the chance to help. I believe that smiling and being happy are the best ways to get through long days and hard work.

8. I always have an interesting way of looking at things and I’m able to see opportunities where other people may not.

9. I would never want to be the solution for anyone. Rather, I enable people to find the answer within themselves. I really am a nice fellow. I love life and all my friends but I never take myself too seriously or have any thoughts about being special. I’m definitely not a guru, just a happy bear!

baxterbear with suitcase Hello!

My name is Baxterbear, and I have quite a phenomenal story to tell.

The first thing you should know is that I’ve lived for more years than I’ve had birthdays. Impossible? No, only unusual, as I was born on 29th February 1928. So, if you know about leap years, in 2012, I shall be either 21 or 84 years old! I think that makes me ageless.

For many years, I lived in Scotland, just off Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile, right beside Edinburgh Castle Esplanade.

In fact, I have been a truly fortunate fellow to have lived in many places across the globe. Places like Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where I was a tea-tasting bear until the outbreak of World War Two.

It’s during the time of World War Two that I begin my story.

baxterbear in an aeroplane I was co-piloting a reconnaissance plane with my good friend RAF Pilot Baxter. We would fly missions over the Burmese jungle, flying only 500 feet above the treetops to take photographs for the British Army. Our reconnaissance plane was a special plane that carried no guns. On one of these missions we were shot down from the skies, crash-landing in the thick jungle below.

As I came to, I realised that we were both hanging from our parachutes high in the jungle canopy. From the pain in my shoulder, I knew that I had been injured. Hanging from the tree tops, I looked across at Pilot Baxter. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and I hoped against hope that he would be okay. It was then that I decided that if we survived, I would spend the rest of my life helping people to stay positive. This was when my nine point philosophy on life was born.

Amazingly, on the fifth day we were rescued by an Army Gurkha unit and taken for treatment to an Army field hospital at Imphal in India. Here Pilot Baxter slowly recovered from his life-threatening injuries. To this day, I still carry reminders of my own injuries, a patched shoulder and a torn ear.

After recuperating, I went to live in Kenya, a country in Africa, where I went from being a tea-tasting bear to a coffee-tasting bear.

I love flying and have travelled all over the world visiting wonderful places. During my travels I’ve found time to write about my adventures. Perhaps one day I shall even have a monument in my name, like my favourite writer, Sir Walter Scott, who has the Scott Monument in Edinburgh named after him.

My mission is to help people whenever and wherever by trying to stay positive.

Most importantly, I want to make a difference.

(Baxterbear is a registered trademark – not to be confuddled with Baxter Bear)