Wisdom Out Of Children's Books

A.A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.

Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'

'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'

'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

Anne Frank
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
 
Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'

'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'

'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

I didn't want to have children. It scared me to death to be responsible for little human beings who would grow according to how they were reared. I saw them as tiny, fragile bundles of potential we would guide, and that guidance was so important. I didn't think I could do it right. I thought I would surely hurt them. So my first husband and I planned motorcycle trips and special sports cars we would buy instead. However, when we got home from living near Fort George Meade, while he fulfilled his obligation, I was six months pregnant.

Mother gave me many warnings, two of which were:
  • Giving birth was horridly painful and I would think and feel like I was dying.
  • My children would make me pay for being her horrible little brat-child physically, emotionally, and in every other way.
But my sisters let me know these things:
  • My youngest sister, 3.5 years older than me: Childbirth does not have to hurt; it could be controlled.
  • My oldest sister, 13 years older than me: Children are who we bring them up to be, so it was up to me.
May baby never moved. Nothing. I thought she was dead or severely physically or mentally handicapped.

But after an extremely pleasant birth without pain -- only pressure -- there she was: the prettiest baby I had ever seen before or after. I had already counted them: 10 fingers and 10 toes. And oh! Those big blue eyes!! And her hair was long and curly. Her lips were like little roses! Her cheeks were beautifully pink, and her little nose could not have been more perfect. Oh, she was wonderful!

Then we got our son. He was active through the whole pregnancy, kicking, turning, hiccoughing, etc.! And when he was born, he had 10 of all the right stuff. Everyone thought his Swedish/German father was full-blooded Eskimo! He was the cutest little chub I had ever seen, with long, dark hair, darker skin than his sister's. FABULOUS!

And through these two people G-d entrusted me to have, I learned, like Skin Horse, what it means to be real. "Real" happened to us, "bit by bit."

Oh, how we hurt when we lost their father.

G-d is still working on my "sharp edges," and our children have helped. My hair is thinner and shorter than the thick, long mane I once had. My eyes are still in there, but sometimes, I need glasses. The joints are getting older. And my children have made my life beautiful.

Praise G-d that He knows what we want, but He gives us what we need. Bless Adonai!
 
Growing up, my dad would pass down profound quotes...and many of them were from the great philosopher Groucho Marx...

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."
"Humor is reason gone mad."
"No man goes before his time -- unless the boss leaves early."
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
 
I also grew up fond of Lewis Carroll. He's probably why I'm interested in paradoxes. And of course the wisdom of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.
 
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You will find that the vast majority of traditional literature for chidren tended to have very adult themes merely softened a bit for the younger audience. There were dangers real and imagined as well as evil both obvious and hidden, and quite a bit of well packaged wisdom to be found. It is only in modern times that we treat children as simpering idiots.

Very fond of Grimm's Fairy tales as well as Russian folklore.
Lewis Carrol is a hoot. When out in the woods don't forget your vorpal sword.
 
I loved these also -- especially Lewis Carrol.
I didn't like Dr. Seuss at all as a child, but i love his writings as an adult.
 
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