Finishing Pooh - A moment from RJ, age 6

RJ has been enjoying the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories lately. I remembered how much I loved them when I was little — such a classic.

Today, he finished the entire book by himself. He looked happy. Satisfied.

“This is one of my favorite books!” he announced.

“I’m so glad you like it,” I said. “Who’s your favorite character?”

“All of them!” he shouted.

I smiled. “Okay then. Which character do you think is most like you?”

“All of them!” he repeated, firmly.

“What do you mean?” I pressed gently. “What makes you like Eeyore?”

“Eeyore complains a lot,” he said between bites of apple. “So do I.”

“What about Pooh?” I asked.

“Pooh really likes honey. So do I.”

“And Piglet?”

“Piglet is funny. I’m pretty funny too.”

He paused, then added, “Piglet also gets scared easily. I’m like that too, you know?”

I thought for a second. “How about Owl?”

“Owl is wise,” he said slowly, stretching the word. “I am wiiiiise too.”A big grin followed.

“The last one,” I laughed. “Tigger?”

“Tigger is full of energy. So do I!”

He laughed this one out. “I have a lot of energy!”

I wondered how one person could possibly be all of them.

“I’m just like each of the different characters at different times,” RJ said, as if answering the question before I asked it.

And he was right.

We’re not just one thing. We’re many — sometimes tired and doubtful, sometimes joyful and full of energy, sometimes wise, sometimes afraid. That mix is what makes us human: imperfect, layered, and sometimes even mysterious.

Not one single character — not Pooh, not any of his friends — can fully represent us.

But together, maybe they come close.