Yesterday was Winnie the Pooh Day, and I recruited author Mary Hamilton to write about it for a newsletter, but it was too good not to share. Here is her take on the wisdom of Pooh.
The Wisdom of Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh was created in 1926 by A. A. Milne for his son, Christopher Robin. The stories about this loveable bear with no brain and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood teach valuable lessons to both children and adults. Consider these three:
The value of kindness--Despite Eeyore’s constant pessimism and lack of enthusiasm, Pooh makes a point of visiting him and even goes so far as to build him a house without expecting any thanks in return.
The value of self-acceptance—Though Pooh acknowledges his slow intellect, he doesn’t use it as an excuse. He’s comfortable making up poems and “hums” and, without embarrassment, shares them with his friends.
The value of accepting differences—Pooh’s friends consist of a human boy, a pig, a tiger, and owl, a rabbit, a donkey, a kangaroo mom and her young son. Yet, he gets along well with all of them and turns a blind eye to their differences.
Wisdom is often found in the most unexpected places, and that certainly includes the words of a brainless bear named Winnie the Pooh. Indeed.
Mary Hamilton has written several middle grade books and is now writing adult cozy mysteries under the byline M L Hamilton. Her latest novel is Pendant.
