Bears

Lately I have been dreaming about bears. This is not something that I normally do.
 
A few months ago, I went camping with some friends. One night, two of them went into town. leaving me and my friend to await their return. At the time, we had wondered what would happen if a bear came. A few nights ago, I dreamed of this situation. The only difference, in the fading twilight, I saw the reflective retinas of a large mammal. Yelling, the two of us dashed to the water's edge as we heard the large animal tear through the underbrush after us. My friend leapt into the water and began swimming out. I waited on shore, until I confirmed that a huge bear was racing towards me. I leapt into the water, and began swimming. As I backstroked towards the middle of the bay, the huge bear was gaining on me. Fast. Then I woke up. I have had a few other dreams of bears since.
 
Today, I decided to go for a hike with my sister. After we solved the parking fee dilemma, we set out up the Mystery Lake Trail. It was a beautiful day for a hike, not too hot like the last week has been, and we were enjoying the cooler weather as we began our hike. About 2 minutes in, we stopped to pick some juicy, sun-warmed blueberries. As we began hiking again, I looked up and staring right into my eyes was a small black bear. Loudly, I swore, and as my sister caught sight of the bear too, we immediately turned heel and ran. Probably not the smartest thing to do when faced with a bear, we sprinted down the mountainside like two goats. Meanwhile, the bear had done the animal equivalent of shrugging his shoulders and going back to eating blueberries. \
 
Why have I been dreaming of bears? I looked up "bear" in a dream dictionary, and was told that it could symbolize that I am concerned with money issues. This is very true! But why did I run into a bear today? Sometimes I get the eerie feeling that my dreams are semi-prophetic in nature. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it feels strange... Anyways, it's a question I shall never know the answer to, and really, I don't mind.