Editor’s Note: Here’s an autumnal reminder from the archives…
Recently, we’ve been reunited with our old friend Pooh.
We had these CDs from the time my oldest boys were little, but they were so loved that they were scratched out of use a few years back. Now we have the audio again (this time from Audible). It’s been so much fun to see our older three recognize the old friends, and see the younger ones enjoy them for the first time. This edition is narrated by the delightful Peter Dennis, who does every voice differently and snorts enthusiastically every time Piglet talks.
This morning we heard the ending of The House at Pooh Corner:
Then, suddenly again, Christopher Robin, who was still looking at the world, with his chin in his hand, called out “Pooh!”
“Yes?” said Pooh.
“When I’m–when–Pooh!”
“Yes, Christopher Robin?”
“I’m not going to do Nothing any more.”
“Never again?”
“Well, not so much. They don’t let you.”
I was overcome again with how counter-cultural it can be to make space for kids and not hyper-schedule them. I want my children to, among other things, have time to do Nothing. What is Nothing? Allow Christopher Robin to enlighten you:
“How do you do Nothing?” asked Pooh, after he had wondered for a long time.
“Well, it’s when people call out at you just as you’re going off to do it, What are you going to do Christopher Robin, and you say, Oh, nothing, and you go and do it.”
“Oh, I see,” said Pooh.
“This is a nothing sort of thing that we’re doing right now.”
“Oh, I see,” said Pooh again.
“It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear and not bothering.”
“Oh!” said Pooh.
Friends, I believe Autumn is the very best time of year to do Nothing. Schedule in some time for Nothing soon.
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I adore this. Thanks, Kelly. 🙂
I used to have the Peter Dennis audio on tapes, and I would often fall asleep to them! Thank you for reminding me!