In my opinion, tomorrow is the best day of the year. January 18th is national “Winnie the Pooh Day” or author A.A. Milne’s birthday.
Winnie-the-Pooh (yes, the original books had his name hyphenated) and his friends were my favorite literary characters as a child. You can imagine my surprise when I learned “Pooh Day” was on my birthday as well! I guess that explains why I have similar appetite to Pooh Bear.
In celebration of that silly old bear and his friends, I would like to share some valuable life lessons Pooh taught me at such a young age.
1.) Never let people define you.
Pooh was thought as dim-witted by his fellow friends in the Hundred Acre Wood; however, Pooh sometimes had the best ideas – including the game Poohsticks. His thoughtfulness shaped him to be a hero, especially in a crisis. Pooh showed, with determination, you learn something new about yourself every day.
2.) Diverse opinions are valued.
Pooh and friends all had a wide range of personalities, yet they always came together to solve problems. Rabbit was high-strung, Tigger was hyperactive, Piglet was anxious, Eeyore was melancholy and Pooh was…well, hungry. Despite their differences, this group of friends taught me to value everyone’s opinion and embrace diversity.
3.) Treat every day as an adventure.
The residents of the Hundred Acre Wood managed to take the simplest of tasks and transform them into the biggest adventures. The power of their imagination allowed them to live their lives to the fullest, which I try to practice every day. Most importantly, Pooh taught me that an adventure is always best experienced with a friend.
Happy “Pooh Day.” I am off to celebrate with a “small smackeral” of honey.
New York Public Libray, nypl.org
