“Promise me you’ll always remember; you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Christopher Robin to Winnie-The-Pooh
Friendship: The Original Winnie-the-Pooh Toys; via Wikipedia
Clockwise from left to right: Tigger, Kanga, Edward Bear (aka Winnie-the-Pooh), Eeyore, and Piglet.
If you watched or read any books on Winnie-the-Pooh, you’d probably remember that a major theme of the series was about friendship; the power of love and the lessons learned between friends. Winnie the Pooh, fondly known as Pooh Bear, had lots of friends in the Hundred Acre Woods but some of his most memorable friends were Tigger, Kanga, Eeyore, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, and Gopher. They spent many fun days in the woods and its surroundings; living out one adventurous and sometimes hilarious event after another.
In all its lightheartedness, there were many lessons learned about friendship and recently, chatting with a dear friend, it struck me that these lessons are still relevant in the world of human friendships. Below are ten lessons I learned from reading the stories and watching the series with my kids…. feel free to add yours to mine.
❤Friendship is about variety. The more diverse our friends, the more diverse our experiences… No one could accuse Pooh of hanging only with teddy bears; he had Tigger (tiger), Kanga & Roo (kangaroo), Eeyore (donkey), Piglet (piggy), and of course all the others whose names are pretty obvious. Diversify your friendship portfolio… reach out and say hello to someone new, outside of your niche.
❤Friendship is about acceptance… wherever we are. Pooh and friends had their foibles yet their friendships remained strong. Pooh saw life through an easy-going uncomplicated lens, while Owl and Rabbit often brought more complex views to the mix. Other friends had their quirks; yet Pooh cherished these friendships; accepting each in his own special way.
❤Friendship is about compassion and encouragement. Be compassionate when your friends are feeling down and do encourage them to cheer up. Each member of Pooh’s group of friends had their challenges and yet found ways to help each other; to overcome fears (Piglet), frustration in the garden (Rabbit) or even excessive exuberance (Tigger ). Eeyore’s sad pronouncements were often countered by positive feedback and support from his friends. They cheered him up … often.
❤Friendship is about honest & timely advice. When out in the woods or on a worldly adventure, do watch each others back, and offer timely, sincere advice and warnings so friends stay out of danger’s way… Pooh and friends were constantly goofing off, yet they helped each other dodge danger quite a bit; be it from the Heffalumps or other pests in the woods.
❤Friendship is about staying close through ups and downs. We all go through fun times and not so fun times and we know who our true friends are when the going gets tough. The Hundred Acre Woods offered many opportunities for the friends to succeed and fail; yet they rallied to support each other… Value your friendships all the time.
