This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first Winnie-the-Pooh book and to mark it, we’ve learned some life lessons from our favourite Hundred Acre Wood friends.
Practise the art of quiet optimism, like… Winnie-the-Pooh
A closet philosopher, Pooh has his moments of self-doubt, and while he may be described as ‘a bear of very little brain’, he regularly makes the sort of insightful comments that just lift your soul a little. Simon Beecroft, author of The Disney Winnie The Pooh Centenary Book (DK), points out that “Pooh approaches the world with curiosity and trust, often reminding readers of the value of simple joys.” In chapter four of The House At Pooh Corner, Milne tells us: ‘The sun was so delightfully warm, and the stone, which had been sitting in it for a long time, was so warm, too, that Pooh had almost decided to go on being Pooh in the middle of the stream for the rest of the morning.” What a life!
Pooh also uses his gentle optimism to encourage others around him. Here he is, comforting Piglet in chapter eight: “‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’ ‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh, after careful thought.”
In a world where we could worry all day long that bad things might happen, like Pooh, try thinking simply: ‘but maybe they won’t.’
Take pleasure in home-making like… Kanga
There are notably no adults among the Hundred Acre Wood crew, but Kanga (and her joey, Roo) represent the parental love that is otherwise missing from the stories. Kanga is a maternal presence for all the other characters, while Roo’s stories demonstrate the value of security: knowing where your roots are, but still reaching out to grow.
“Kanga is kind and calm, with a quiet strength. She is also practical and nurturing, always looking out for Roo’s safety and well-being,” notes Beecroft.
Milne tells us in The House at Pooh Corner: “Now it happened that Kanga had felt rather motherly that morning, and Wanting to Count Things - like Roo’s vests, and how many pieces of soap there were left, and the two clean spots in Tigger’s feeder.”
These are important things Never underestimate the pleasure that pottering, ‘counting vests and soap’ and making our homes feel like a nest, can bring. Like Kanga and Roo, when your home is comforting and orderly you’ll want to head out for more adventures… if only for the pleasure of returning to the safety of home once more.
Enjoy simple pastimes like… Eeyore
Eeyore is generally pictured as the ‘gloomy’ one, which he is in many ways, but what people often miss is the way in which the donkey’s low expectations allow him to enjoy what he has.
Simon Beecroft points to “Eeyore’s birthday, in chapter six of Winnie-the-Pooh, when he is given an empty honey jar by Pooh and a burst balloon by Piglet. [This] illustrates the interactions between the characters, highlighting their well-intentioned efforts, the unforeseen consequences of those efforts, and Eeyore’s ability to take pleasure in unexpected outcomes!”
While Pooh and Piglet worry that their gifts are not what they might have been, Eeyore is delighted to discover simply that he has ‘a pot to put things in’ and a burst balloon that can be put in the pot. Milne tells us: “But Eeyore wasn’t listening. He was taking the balloon out, and putting it back again, as happy as can be.”
Eeyore expects little from life, but when your pleasures are simple (such as a thistle crushed by the weight of a friend’s bottom), there are plenty of pleasures to be found.
Bounce back like… Tigger
In a world where it feels as if we are constantly told to ‘be more resilient’, we can learn from Tigger’s boundless enthusiasm. His resilience is about pure joy, rather than strength in the face of adversity and he meets each new challenge with excitement. When we first meet him in The House at Pooh Corner, we learn that “Tiggers like everything!” Tigger gamely tries honey (but “Tiggers don’t like honey”), then haycorns (but “Tiggers don’t like haycorns”) and even Thistles. You’ve guessed it – “too hot!” Tiggers don’t like thistles. Tigger simply tries whatever is on offer, has enough self-knowledge to happily declare that he doesn’t like it and moves on to try the next thing with the same unimpeded energy.
Later in the book, Rabbit announces his intention to ‘unbounce’ Tigger. “There’s too much of him,” Rabbit complains. But suddenly the idea of him being ‘unbounced’ feels very sad indeed. And in the end the lesson that is learned is not learned by Tigger at all. Rabbit learns that being ‘bouncy’ can be a wonderful thing... “And the small and sorry Rabbit rushed through the mist at the noise, and it turned into Tigger; a Friendly Tigger, a Grand Tigger, a Large and Helpful Tigger, a Tigger who bounced, if he bounced at all, in just the beautiful way a Tigger ought to bounce.” We all need a Tigger in our lives.
You can read life lessons from some of the other characters, including Piglet, Rabbit and Owl, in our November issue.
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