Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up the Most Room in Your Heart. A Childhood Friendship with Winnie the Pooh

By Jackie White

When I was a kid, I had a friend who was the best listener and playmate anyone could have. Although he was quiet, he was filled with wisdom. If you were to see him, you would instantly recognize him and maybe even write him off as just a “silly old bear”. You might have guessed by now who my friend was. His name was Winnie the Pooh. For as long as I can remember he was always there. ​

I think it’s funny now to look back on how I loved Pooh. He was my favorite, but I knew he belonged to Christopher Robin. It was never a bother to me because I always thought that was how the story went. Winnie taught me that he and I could still be friends because Winnie had many friends and that I could be one too. What a great lesson!

Winnie the Pooh was never just a silly old bear to me. He was kind, gentle and compassionate to others.  Pooh had his weakness and that was honey. He simply couldn’t help himself when it came to honey! His bumbling and fumbling of his “hunny pots” were just part of who he was. Nevertheless, he was always a joyful, optimistic bear who loved to laugh and although he wasn’t perfect, he always was to me. 

I think one of the most important things about Winnie was that he was fine with just being himself. And, since he was fine just being himself, he let me know it was fine to just be myself, too. What a gift he gave to me in that.

As a kid, I read his books, or maybe they were read to me? I don’t really remember. I watched his movies and was lucky enough to get a life size Winnie at Disney World one year. Over the years, my love for him endured. My children were also lucky enough to have had Pooh as part of their childhood. That silly old bear is undeniably lovable! He was the friend you always wanted to have. One that cherished your friendship and cared about you. He was brave and fun and sometimes a little discombobulated, which made him all the more endearing. His character was a great example to me on how maybe I should be. I too could be kind, caring, silly, brave and definitely not perfect and that was ok, in fact, it was more than ok. Thank you, Winnie, for being such a great role model!

​My friend, Winnie the Pooh had rhymes and hums that peppered his language. He was playful and was always child-like, except when it came to his words of wisdom. I think the genius in Winnie is that his wisdom is plain and simple. It certainly is one of the things that makes him timeless and even more importantly, his wisdom taught all of us to be a little better.

 Winnie the Pooh Words of Wisdom


Words about Love
Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.

Piglet: “How do you spell ‘love’?”
Pooh: “You don’t spell it…you feel it.” --Winnie-the-Pooh

Even the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.

Words about Friendship
If you live to be a hundred, I hope to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.

“We will be friends forever, won’t we Pooh?” asked Piglet. “Even longer,” Pooh answered.

A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey.

Words about Life
Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved.

You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.

It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long difficult words, but rather short easy words like “what about lunch?”

No one can be uncheered with a balloon.

Words about Just Being You
You are braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.

Your smile is a reason for many others to smile.

The things that make me different are the things that make me.

In the end, leave footprints of love and kindness on every step of your journey.

So, on this honored day of Winnie the Pooh, I have one simple wish. I wish that more people lived by the wisdom of Winnie the Pooh because the world might just be a better place. Thank you to A.A. Milne for creating a character that will continue to teach us all how to live more kindly and with more joy. 

I will leave you with one last piece of wisdom from my friend, Pooh that I hope we can all incorporate it in our own lives:

In the end, leave footprints of love and kindness on every step of your journey.
​
Shine On.

History of Winnie the Pooh:
Winnie the Pooh was a character that A.A. Milne developed after seeing how much his son, Christopher Robin loved a bear at the London Zoo named Winnie. The first book called “Winnie the Pooh” was released in 1926. The series of books became favorites of Walt Disney’s daughters and subsequently, Disney began animating Winnie the Pooh in 1966. In 1977, Disney released the first feature film called “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. Later in the 1980’s a television series called The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released. Winnie was and is today Disney’s second most loved character only after Mickey Mouse.