Philosophy of Pooh
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered.“yes, Piglet?”“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the Pooh
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.“Even longer,” Pooh answered.
I suppose I could go on an on with the quotes. I recommend reading the entire book over and over. Of course it is nice to have a child or grandchild in your lap when you are reading.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
I am not sure why, I but I think that we ought to read Winnie-the-Pooh on more occasions than just as a children’s story. It has so many messages that are important for adults to understand.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”
I think that I would like to be remembered as one of those people who care too much.
According to the Hallmark Channel Ultimate Holiday Site, today is National Winnie-the-Pooh Day. The collection of stories about Christopher Robin and his toys is certainly worthy of a holiday in my way of thinking. The boy and the toys have their roots in reality. Christopher Robin was a real boy. Winnie was the black bear at the London Zoo. Pooh was a swan Christopher encountered while on vacation. The name for the teddy bear came from the combination of the two names. In the story Winnie-the-Pooh (with hyphens, thank you very much) loves honey.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”
I love honey too. Of course the word honey can have more than one meaning. Honey is the sweet nectar that is made by bees and often found in trees that I use to sweeten all sorts of good food. That is the kind of honey Winnie-the-Pooh (any hyphens too!) loved. But honey can also be a term of endearment. The word is often used as a named for one who is beloved. We call the object of our love baby, beau, darling, dear, dearest, flame, heartbeat, heartthrob, love, lover, number one, one and only, pet, prize, steady, sugar, sweetheart, treasure, true love, and, of course honey.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”
Now stick with my reasoning here. It isn’t all that hard to follow if you understand that today is actually two holidays in one. Not only is it National Winnie-the-Pooh Day, but again according to the Hallmark Channel Ultimate Holiday Site, today is also Thesaurus Day. Thesaurus is, of course the friend of every writer. It is a glossary, lexicon, onomasticon, reference book, sourcebook, storehouse of words, terminology, vocabulary, word list.
And there are other ways that mean day as well, such as: astronomical day, bright, dawn-to-dusk, daylight, daytime, diurnal course, early bright, sidereal day, sunlight, sunrise-to-sunset, sunshine, working day.
So, please allow me to be the first to wish a happy Onomasticon Diurnal Course to you!
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“I’m not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
The calendar is filled with holidays. We celebrate former presidents and great leaders of the people. We celebrate historic events and days of religious significance. We celebrate saints and turning points in history. And we are always making up new holidays. Sometimes our holidays have stories that are bigger than the day we celebrate. Veteran’s Day, for example, is observed on November 11. It is because we remember November 11, 1918 as the day when fighting ended in World War 1. What that day does not recall is the hard work that went into negotiating a treaty and securing the peace. That work went on for months after the fighting stopped. The official talks that led to the treaty began on this day in 1919, in Paris, France. Some of the most powerful people in the world met to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of the war. The Treaty was signed six months later, on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles, France. Wars don’t end in a day. Some say that the seeds for World War II were contained in the terms of the treaty.
Our holidays simply don’t ever tell the whole story. But part of the story is that every day has some significance. Every day has meaning and beauty and worth that is all its own. Setting aside certain days for holidays is appropriate, but it is also important for us to look for the worth of each day.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“What I like doing best is Nothing.”“How do you do Nothing,” asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.“Well, it’s when people call out at you just as you’re going off to do it, ‘What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?’ and you say, ‘Oh, Nothing,’ and then you go and do it.It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”“Oh!” said Pooh.
So I hope that today is, for you, a good day to do Nothing. Perhaps it is when we listen to all the things you can’t hear that we recognize the simple truth that there is something holy in every day.
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“Rabbit’s clever,” said Pooh thoughtfully.“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit’s clever.”“And he has Brain.”“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit has Brain.”There was a long silence.“I suppose,” said Pooh, “that’s why he never understands anything.”
--A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh“Think it over, think it under.”
May you see the holy today.