The wisdom of Poo
Today was a Difficult Day, said Pooh.
There was a pause.
Do you want to talk about it? asked Piglet.
No, said Pooh after a bit. No, I don't think I do.
That's okay, said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.
What are you doing? asked Pooh.
Nothing, really, said Piglet.
Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.
But goodness continued Piglet, Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh.
And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right.
A.A. Milne
The poo of integration
Winnie the Pooh was written by Alan Alexander Milne in 1926 about a boy and the adventures he goes on with friends that happened to be stuffed animals.
The character of Christopher echoes a universal experience felt by all people: growing up. Christopher makes silly mistakes and learns thoughtful lessons, all with the help of his loyal imaginary friends.
However, Christopher eventually realizes in “The House at Pooh Corner” that he must leave the Hundred Acre Wood, for he is maturing. It’s difficult to comprehend that everyone must eventually move on and that the things held most dear have to be let go, though never forgotten.
Another way of describing the process of integration. We go into an experience not knowing, and come back knowing in a new or different way.
The experience may contain shadow or light, but something shifts within us, and then we decide what to do with that new knowledge.
Sometimes it means leaving something behind as we move towards new horizons.
Pure intentions
A. A. Milne didn’t write Winnie the Pooh for the target group of middle-class kids between the ages of 5 - 12.
He didn't have a focus group tell him a bear and a piglet would be popular.
No great master plan. No market research. No plan to be a bestselling author.
He wrote it specifically for his son, Christopher Robin.
In life, when you are creating and bringing your ideas into the world, remember to "Find your Christopher Robin."
It’s not the perfect client. Not some persona. Not some sales pitch. Not trying to convince anyone of anything
It’s just someone you believe would enjoy and benefit from what you are trying to express or teach.
That’s it.
That goes for everything
A product,
A service
A moment
A movement
You Have Influence
To acknowledge that you can change the world is overwhelming. Yet all of us have the ability to begin changing the world by contributing to it in some way.
The potential you have to influence knows no bounds, though you only need to influence in some small way to recognize how much you matter.
Your mission unfolding through you is a byproduct of your devotion and commitment to life itself.
Renew yourself with a commitment to becoming more of who you are.
Be a piglet - Find a piglet
In Sanskrit, there is a word - Kaliyanamitra - which means “Spiritual Friend”.
Not a guru or a master, but someone who is walking the path alongside you to help guide and inform your practice -- in a very real-world, everyday life sort of way. What Piglet was for Winnie the Poo. What all the characters were for Christopher Robin.
We can all learn a lot from this little bear who liked honey.
It's the kindness and wisdom of mindfulness personified.
...d
