The zen of Pooh

The news is full of stories about the dramatic effects of the extreme weather conditions in many parts of Italy and Britain. Too much rain, too much snow, people evacuated from their homes, roads full of potholes, fields underwater. A whole lot of misery. This made me think of Eeyore. There always seems to be someone or something to relate to in Winnie the Pooh. My mum read us Winnie the Pooh till we knew it by heart.

Here you can see some excerpts from the original version, with the illustrations by E.H. Shepherd.

My mum loved Winnie the Pooh. My Dad thought it was all a bit silly. Well, they are all a bit stupid but that's their charm. After all even Leo Tolstoy said,

"The more we live by our intellect, the less we understand the meaning of life."

If I had to sum up what life lessons can be learned from  A.A. Milne's stories about a little boy and his bear, it would be this:

A great delight in nature and the passing of the seasons and weather, blustery days, snowy walks, hot Summer days, Autumn foliage.

The fun to be had with friends, playing Pooh sticks, going on expeditions, having adventures, looking for Heffalumps.

The pleasure to be had in having a little something special to eat.

Accepting ourselves for what we are, with all our imperfections with love, bouncy Tigger, gloomy Eeyore, touchy Rabbit.

Looking after each other

Being hospitable

The comfort of having someone strong to get you out of difficult situations.

Here is one of my favourite escapades of Pooh. He goes to Rabbit's house, eats so much honey that he gets stuck and cant't get out. Everyone is so alarmed that they call Christopher Robin. When he sees the situation he says "silly old bear" in such a way that they all feel quite hopeful again .Winnie-the-Pooh then has to fast so as to lose weight and get out. Christopher Robin keeps him company while he's getting thin.

What's your favourite Pooh story ?