Winnie the Pooh or Eeyore?

In the children’s classic A.A. Milne  book Winnie the Pooh, there are two characters that personify opposing views of the world.  Winnie the Pooh is forever the optimist, Eeyore is forever the pessimist.

Right now, after 3 months of self-isolation, political and social turmoil and an uncertain future, it’s pretty easy to be an Eeyore.  But, if we choose Eeyore’s gloomy path, how will that help us move forward?

We could be wildly optimistic and full of positive thinking boisterousness like the other Winnie the Pooh character, Tigger, but, maybe it’s best to find a path between optimism and negativity to help us manage our current challenges and face the future with hope.

One of Eeyore’s characteristics is he tends to think of things as permanently bad. No matter what his friends do to cheer him, he always manages to find the dark cloud instead of the silver lining. Pooh on the other hand always sees the positive without much recognition of life’s complexities.

Perhaps it might help to think of bad times as temporary and recognize that the good times are temporary too. Maybe our path is to simply be grateful for today, our family, our friends and all the good things in our lives big and small.  We know like Eeyore that things will change one way or the other, but, for this moment let’s find joy and happiness where we can.

Uncertainty in life is inevitable, but keeping perspective and appreciation for even the smallest things today will guide us to happier paths tomorrow.  “Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things can take up the most room in your heart.”