O h b o t h e r
I was recently working on a blog idea that I ran by one of my friends, a pal I’ve had for over 25 years. While my mind meandered down a rabbit hole of sorts, our conversation triggered hers to a different one entirely– one found in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Victoria reminded me of long ago when my husband Jason was the youth pastor at Church In the Son and I opened a small group meeting with the ice-breaker, “Which Winnie the Pooh character are you most like?”. And we were off on a lively discussion that was broadened to include our family and friends. Vics and I spent the better part of a day assessing ourselves and asking others what they thought. We classified everyone best we could. Then, come to find out, there are now personality tests, analyses for mental disorders and workplace recommendations based solely on these characters. Ah, I love the age we’re living in sometimes! The question had just came to me 23 years ago because I had happened to be a stay-at-home mom watching an overabundance of Winnie the Pooh and playing Pooh Sticks.
So. . . which AA Milne character that inhabits the 100 Acre Wood are you most like? Perhaps you’re a hybrid of a few. Ask this same question to your family and friends. Both who they think you are and whom they picture themselves to be. “Oh bother,” to quote Pooh. But why should you bother with something so small and ridiculous like this?
a. Because it is fun darnnit.
b .Because it is insightful.
c. And because it’s a conversation starter that even your young ones can get into. If they have never watched Pooh and friends, you’re welcome. I’ve given you an activity idea.
Here are what Victoria and I came up with to best describe the characters:
Pooh – naive, the eternal optimist, friendly, enjoys life, encourager, leader, insightful, slow
Piglet – shy, tends to worry a lot, braver than he thinks he is, best friend, kind, not a leader
Eeyore – gloomy, pessimistic, cautious, realist, loyal, unselfish, sarcastic, reluctant
Owl – seen as wise, storyteller, oblivious, does not often join in with others, scatterbrained
Tigger – energetic, enthusiastic, friendly, not always aware of his surroundings, overconfident
Kanga – maternal, protective, sensible, accepting, cheeky in the best way, calm
Roo – childlike, adventurous, insightful, cheerful, sensitive
Rabbit – hard working, friendly, irritable, thinks he is smart, likes order/planning/rules
Gopher – practical, diligent, not always around, loves to get lost in his personal projects
Without much hesitation, Vics announced that she was definitely Rabbit with some Owl. She likes to do things her way, doesn’t like people touching her stuff, is friendly but gets irritated when out of her element and is quite the storyteller. Her young teenage son, wanting in on the fun, chimed in that he is Kanga. Of course that took us both back. You’re a maternal marsupia, Mathias? But after listening to his reasoning, he was absolutely right. He genuinely cares for the people around him, with calm and reassurance.
Although I had an idea of who I would be in this scenario, I reached out to my family and friends to get their opinion. It was a very non-threatening way to see how others viewed me. Without exception, they all agreed that I was Winnie the Pooh. Reasons being that I am fairly naive, I love going on adventures but can be insecure, encouraging others to see their own potential is kinda my jam, I will always see the glass half-full, replace honey with chocolate and we have the reason I am round, and I genuinely love my friends but have an extra place in my heart for my best friend.
See? It’s kinda fun.
Trying to figure out my best friend was a bit difficult. She is Kanga, Rabbit and Piglet rolled into one. If there can be such an animal. A Kangarabblet. On the exterior, she is poised and relaxed like Kanga. However, she can be a total Rabbit on the inside. Worried about deadlines, getting all her “carrots in a row,” and isn’t able to be still until her household is in order. Her Piglet shows too: loyal, trusting and ever so kind. While trying to make these determinations, she admitted she really couldn’t remember too much about the cartoons/books, so I described a scenario that actually happens with us. I (Pooh) come to her house to see if she would go outside and chase birds/butterflies with me. She (Rabbit) wishes she could but there are too many things to be done.
The question that begs to be answered though is. . . Is one character of more value than another?
All have their charm. All have their flaws.
Would there be food to eat in the winter if Rabbit didn’t put fun aside to be diligent? Would everyone know their history without loquacious Owl? Would Tigger have found his family without Roo’s compassion and his own energized determination? Could Piglet have known how brave he really is without Pooh believing in him? I could go on, but I think you see that everyone has their place, even Eeyores. Sometimes we need that realistic person to balance people, like me, that would naively go down a path.
We tend to want people to see situations, process information and deal with things like we do. But if we can learn one thing from these loveable characters, it is that we need to enjoy each other’s company, listen, be encouraging and go on adventures together. We can’t allow our differences to dissuade us or push us apart, but instead be the very thing that leads to many celebrations.
I Corinthians 12:12-27.
