Hunny

“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.” - from Winnie the Pooh

Dad, Me, & Winnie @ Disney World in what looks like the late 80's

As a kid, I loved Winnie the Pooh. I have many keepsakes that bear (bear, get it?) his likeness and many memories of the cartoon itself. Even after Pooh got the OK in the adult world via books like The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet, I never aimed to figure out what is was I loved about it all. Life is like that, you go on the feeling you get, not the explanation you later create. 


Today is a day for explanations. 


When it comes down to it, Winnie the Pooh is a simple story about the wilderness and the creatures which inhabit it. Though the animals are of different species, they seem more civilized and good than the unknown beings in the woods. I guess it's like humans, still animals, but conditioned. Now these animals, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, etc. are all exactly who they are...all the time. Pooh will be hungry for "hunny" and do any hapless thing to get it; Piglet will be scared and timid; Rabbit will be busy and bossy and slightly mean, etc. I think the key is predictability. None of the characters do anything out of their ordinary. How comforting that must be to know that the people in your life won't go and shock you? Or is it? I guess if your friends, family, and loved ones are all evolved and you like them, you would cherish their static personalities, but if they needed to do a little growing-up, these unchanging temperaments might but a hamper on your day or world. I think it's the principle of knowing what you're getting. We all know someone who constantly puts his foot in his mouth, but you knew that, so it's acceptable. You were prepared. 


When you know what your getting, what you get isn't so unsettling.