Lessons Learned from Winnie-the-Poo

All of the recent sick days with Caleb have caused us to look for "tools" to keep our very active, but very sick little guy in a state of semi-rest. This can be quite the trick as Caleb is rarely still, even when running a temp of 102. . . and so we have called upon our close friends, Diego, Blue's Clues, and Winnie-the-Poo to aid us in this endeavor.

I, for one, have been quite reticent to use TV or movies as tools, and in fact, prided myself in the past on never doing so. I have since caved, and Caleb's new little portable DVD player is a dear friend of mine. (I use this handy little tool on my "bad mommy" days when I am simply too tired from being up all night with Ella to come up with stimulating and creative activities to entertain my toddler, much less the energy to assist him with them).

That confessed, I have found quite a bit of merit in Caleb's programming. Blue's Clues is so sweet and educational, Go Diego Go, while being overly-enthusiastic and a bit irritating at times, has taught Caleb several words in Spanish (he greeted Daddy with an "Hola Daddy! as he came home from work the other day), and Winnie-the-Poo is, well, Winnie-the-Poo, and has a special place in my own childhood memories and thus a permanent place in my heart.

And so this morning, with Christopher Robin and the gang singing happily in the background, and Caleb resting and working on a glass or orange juice, I am inclined to allow my mood to a improve a bit while falling in love with Poo all over again, for a few of the following reasons:

1) Poo is the sort of bear that doesn't allow a little extra girth around his middle taint his perspective on life, nor detour him from the things he loves best—namely honey.

2) Poo doesn't think twice about asking his friends for help.

3) Poo is quite creative and persistent, and even if ninety-nine of his ideas fail, he will still attempt a hundredth.

4) Poo never allows life to get the best of him, nor does he raise his fist to the sky. A simple "oh bother," generally does the trick and he is able to move on to more positive things without dwelling on past failures.

This is hardly an extensive list, and I would welcome other insight . . .

There is something remarkably comforting in the knowledge that a bear "of very little brain" can weather the winds of life with a smile. It just goes to show you there are very few problems that a pot of honey can not solve.