If you’d like a different view of the Tao Te Ching, from the point of view of a midlife woman, check out my book Tao Flashes. Looks like that silly bear wasn’t so silly, after all. “But all those things of yours get done.” Pooh seemed to understand this basic philosophy. In his profoundly simple and yet complex verse he says, “By not doing, everything is done.”
In the Tao Te Ching, a basic guideline on the principles of Taoism, its author Lao Tzu talks about tempering a busy life. (Though you might upset someone else’s applecart when you say NO, remember, it’s okay to prioritize your happiness.) The laundry can wait, but your authentic happiness can’t. Trust me, the world won’t fall apart when you step forward and demand your right to bliss. Maybe it’s playing King of the Hill in your backyard with your children (or grandkids) while dinner waits. Or maybe it’s just enjoying the simple joy of silence, the chaotic-free sound of quiet time. Maybe it’s curling up with a good book (or a naughty one like 50 Shades of Grey). And then you start investigating what makes you happy, even joyful. How do you do this? You start by saying Noooooooooooooo. Pull the plug on your perfectionism, tear up the to-do-list, and head out in search of your joy. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the forest that was left out by mistake. As females, we tend to be the caretakers, the wish-granters for everyone else’s joy, often prioritizing the happiness of other people before our own. 44 of the best book quotes from Winnie the Pooh 01 Share Always watch where you are going. Life then becomes about the next task, the next project, the next errand, the next demand. In the process we exhaust our spirits and we become disconnected emotionally, physically, to the little joys that surround us. Other times we get caught in the trap of more, letting “stuff” substitute for spiritual or emotional substanence. And sometimes in the process of daily living, we lose track, we lose ourselves, we lose our way… and we trade our authentic needs to keep pace. Many of us lead lives that are far south of simple. This made me think about how we women spend so much of our lives in fast-motion, running, doing, tending to other people’s needs.
#Mindfulness tao of pooh quotes free#
He was living a life free of worry, free of arrogance, free of complexitiy…in other words, Pooh had discovered the path to a joyful, simple life. Just recently I re-discovered Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh, and have delighted in reading it with a new understanding. Now, with many more years (and yes, sigh, maybe a few extra pounds) tucked under my belt, I understand Pooh was not so simple…he was actually wise, and what the Taoists would call an Uncarved Block. Pooh, unbeknown to me at the time, was living some of the basic tenets of Taoism. He just lived his life joyfully, staying in the present, and always, always trusting that somehow things would turn out right. Pooh didn’t seem to be too stressed about where his next meal was coming from, or the fact that his friends considered him to be a bit of a simpleton.
He was a sweet, chubby, simple-minded bear that seemd to spend his days in the pursuit of two things: fun and honey. When I was a child, I loved Winnie the Pooh.
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