Stay North, Christopher Robin
A stream runs near my house. It's called Pebble Creek. I walk my dogs near and around the creek every day. In a matter of a few hundred meters, there are two bridges which cross the water. After the bridges there's a small flowered meadow, just off the fairway from the surrounding golf course.
There, the dogs enjoy a little romp and do their business.
On the way back, I do one of two things.
I either drop a golf ball one of the three of us has retrieved into the creek. (Believe it or not, the dogs are really good at finding lost golf balls.) Or, I grab two sticks. When crossing the bridge to head home, I drop them simultaneously on the upstream side. The dogs and I then watch to see which stick wins. Okay - the dogs really don't care so much. But, for me, time for simple childishness is time well spent.
And, yes, Winnie-the-Pooh was a significant part of my childhood.
I saw the new Christopher Robin movie with my (grown) kids this evening. Predictable and trope-y - it was completely charming. And it was a poignant reminder of the importance of childlikeness.
The day in which we live is harsh and busy and serious. Injustice and war and all things awful run rampant - and a lot of these same things suck our time and energy and life. They're important things. Things we sacrifice for. But the childlike leader does draw lines in the sand. There are things that are more important than important things.
The wisdom of Pooh is timeless and timely - given the age in which we live. Pooh still helps me with "true North" - even as a 50-year old. Even when I'm 100. Or 99.
Doing nothing will always lead to something. Even if it's taking a few minutes every day to throw sticks in Pebble Creek.
“People say “nothing is impossible”. But I do nothing every day.”
I was also reminded tonight of the importance of children's literature. We need to read more stories. Because stories bring a humanity to us all.
More humanity is good.
Stories remind us that sometimes sticks in a stream and acorns in a wood are much more important than we think.
