NaBloPoMo Monday, November 4, 2013
Who is your favourite character of all time?
Okay, I’m not really sure what this answer says about my worldliness, but my favorite character has always been Winnie the Pooh. In an attempt not to appear overly childish, I struggled to think of a protagonist from classic literature or a hero from stage or screen whom I love more, but just couldn’t do it.
Pooh is a character that can be loved at any age. As a small child, I loved him mainly for his cuteness. He made me giggle whenever his love of ‘hunny’ led to trouble.
As I moved into middle school, I began to appreciate more of the clever truths disguised in his off-hand remarks.
“To the uneducated an A is just three sticks.”
Throughout college and beyond, when I was tackling the world on my own and battling occasional bouts of homesickness, Pooh understood.
“I wonder what Piglet is doing,” thought Pooh.
“I wish I were there to be doing it, too.”
Now, even as an adult, Pooh’s words, uttered in his gentle sing-song voice, can encourage me to do the right thing, even when I’d much prefer to hibernate bear-like under the covers…
“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”
…or jump willy-nilly into a project.
“Organization is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
Winnie the Pooh embodies many admirable qualities that, if everybody adopted, would make the world so much nicer. Pooh is fairly unflappable, even with a ‘hunny’ jar stuck on his nose–there is no screaming or unnecessary drama in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh does not easily take offense, or look for reasons to start a fight, even when insulted by Rabbit. Pooh treasures his friends, and stands by them through thick and thin. He accepts them just as they are, stoically ignoring Eeyore’s gloom, patiently waiting through Owl’s lengthy explanations, and gamely trying to keep pace with Tigger’s hyperactive romps. Above all, Pooh knows that
“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.”
Maybe Winnie the Pooh doesn’t seem like such an immature choice for favorite all-time character after all.
(Blogger’s note: Winnie the Pooh quotes from GoodReads.)
Art is something I’ve decided is completely in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, would consider these antique bread knives to be art. Just look at the detailed carving of the handles. Does the fact that something is utilitarian preclude it from being art? Is it only art if it hangs on the wall or collects dust on the mantle…or worse, is kept behind security glass in a climate-controlled museum? To me, art isn’t merely about beauty; a piece must reach inside and grab my soul. There’s not much rhyme or reason to what I like, but I’m definitely more likely to swoon over a hand-carved knife handle than the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. I can certainly appreciate the time and talent masters like Michelangelo invested in their paintings and sculptures, but they generally are not pieces that resonate with me. I’m grateful that I don’t just think of art as something on display in a museum…because I’m surrounded by artwork in the form of a hand-knit scarf, a mural on a downtown building, a sculpture made from vintage farm equipment, even a carved pumpkin.
Things I See and Know 