Oh Bother

I found this daring little cross-stitch piece at a thrift store at the Covered Market in Oxford, England. I love it because Pooh Bear brings back many childhood memories of the books, the television show, and all the stuffed animals I had, not to mention my nickname given to me by my parents when I was a baby. Pooh Bear was created by A. A. Milne, a British writer who wrote the Pooh stories for his son, Christopher Robin, who was the boy in all the books. Milne wrote more than just the stories about Pooh. He wrote some other delightful books for adults with charming wit and humour. I found a few of those books while in England, on other trips.
I also love this little piece because, well, Pooh is writing.

Oh bother!
(That's something Pooh says a lot)

I think part of the essence of being a writer is learning to see beyond oneself and to pay attention to details around. As much as it is essential to listen inside and pay attention to the inner voice (especially for poetry), when we forget that there is so much beyond ourselves we are slipping down a slope of ego that can easily be detected in the tone of the writing.

Something I always loved about Pooh in the stories is how he enjoys the little things. Of course, he is a bear of little brain, and he craves honey and sometimes has a one-track mind to food, but he is perfectly satisfied by spending time in his humble abode, talking with his friends, and taking walks through the hundred acre wood. For taking a walk outside among the trees and bees is the best place to think.

By opening ourselves up to the grand story that is bigger than us, we open up our eyes and begin to see the beauty in all the little things. We live more simply and some of the most enjoyable things are the most simple. We don't see these things as our own, but as a gift from above, where there is an eternal sense of story that can show glimpses while we are here. So when we think about things, we should think in the direction of thanksgiving.

Or as Pooh would say -
Think - Think - Think