Myra and Pooh the Philosopher

One morning, Myra awoke with her heart heavy with sadness and longing. In her dreams, she had traveled distant and beautiful lands, yet carrying her sadness in her heart. You see, Myra had such colorful and vivid dreams- she stood under the aurora dawn skies, she swam in aquamarine green and blue seas, she bungee jumped high cliffs, she met unique and interesting people in her dreams and walked with them to her wonderful adventures, but as soon as she woke up, sadness would come rushing in.

 One night, Myra walked in her dreams with Winnie the Pooh, the greatest philosopher of all times. Pooh Bear was the gentlest, wisest of all beings with a gruff but gentle bear voice and furry belly, which flopped softly as he walked.

“I know you are sad deep down, Myra”- Pooh said.

Myra drew her breath in- how did Pooh know? - “Am I that transparent, Pooh? “ she asked softly.

Pooh smiled –“ No, you are not, not to everyone. But I see it in your eyes. Sometimes even when your eyes shine with laughter, some of the grief within your heart spills through ever so slightly. What troubles you so, my dear?"

Myra felt her smile wane from her face and her eyes clouded over. She blinked ahead of her and took a deep breath. They walked on silently for a while, until Pooh gently reached out and took Myra’s hands in his warm bear paws, encouraging her to share her grief.

“I don’t know, Pooh. Angelo is gone. I miss laughing with him"- Myra spoke quietly.

Pooh replied- “ I know. You both brought much laughter in each other’s lives. It was wonderful to see you both so happy whenever you were together.”

“Then why did it end, Pooh?”-Myra asked. “I feel as if I didn’t work too hard to make our relationship work.”

Pooh turned to look at Myra-“Do you really believe that, Myra? Do you really think it could have been any other way than this?”

“Maybe…maybe if I had stayed with him longer, maybe if I talked to him more often, maybe if I hadn’t traveled so much, maybe if I loved him harder.”

As soon as Myra said the words, Myra stopped. She turned towards Pooh who was already looking at her with compassion in his eyes. “ He wasn’t the one, was he? It wouldn’t have been so hard,otherwise. ”- She said aloud.

“You are right. He wasn’t the one” –Pooh affirmed.

“I am afraid I’ll never find the one, Pooh”-Myra said quietly.

“Is that the reason you are worried, Myra? Tell me, why does one want to find ‘the one’? Is it about love? Is it about sex? Is it about companionship? Is it about security? Or is it about fulfilling norms of society which include marriage, partnership and parenthood?” Pooh asked.

“I am not sure”-Myra replied. “Maybe, it’s because nobody wants to be lonely. Sometimes, it feels as if people make compromises just so they have the security of someone always being by their side as they go through life. Maybe they are scared. Or maybe, I’m too cynical. Perhaps they do really find the person who they can’t live without for the rest of their lives.”

“And you?”-Pooh nudged. “Why do you think you need ‘the one’ –as you say?”

Myra took a deep breath and confessed- “I am scared, Pooh. I am unsure about the purpose of my life. Why do we exist? Is it only to mindlessly go through this life cycle and die eventually? What would be my contribution to life, as we know it. Is it to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend, a good employee, a good wife and eventually a good mother? Is it so that life can continue even after I die?  And if yes, then if I don’t meet ‘the one’ and don’t marry and don’t have children – would I really fail miserably in fulfilling my life’s purpose? Am I only an instrument of life’s aimless continuation on Earth? ”.

“Well...” Pooh began- “ you have asked me the most difficult question of all, Myra. As a philosopher, I too struggle to understand my purpose in life. Am I in this world only to gather honey from the forest during summer, and hibernate during winters, while creating little bears with another female of my species so that they go through the same mindless cycle over and over again? "

Myra looked at Pooh silently, waiting for him to continue.

“I think not, Myra. You know why?” Pooh said-“ Let me ask you a question. How many bears do you know who talk to humans and give them perspectives in philosophy?”

Myra shook her head- “Only you, Winnie the Pooh” – and smiled at her own world play.

“Exactly!” Pooh exclaimed- laughing together with Myra. “You see, Myra, as people go through their individual life cycles, each repeated through generations, each one brings with her or him a peculiar individual trait that has the capability of changing the perception of life as we know it. Some individuals bring big changes in perspectives like Nelson Mandela, Abe Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, Maya Angelou etc and some small but equally important changes.  As for me, if I have cubs -I most likely will pass on my philosophical knowledge to my cubs and they will be more evolved philosophers than me.

And if I don’t have cubs, and chances are high this happens for you know, it’s SO hard to find a mama bear who will not snooze at my philosophy talk, and who doesn’t mind my floppy belly, well then I think I will have brought about an immense change in the way people perceive bears. Until now, people have mostly thought of bearkind as honey guzzlers who spend half a year snoring in caves! Maybe after me, they will also recognize us as intelligent philosophers!”

“Why, you do make an awful lot of sense, Pooh!” Myra remarked. “Maybe MY  purpose in life is to show everyone that as a woman, there is more to life than finding a partner and having babies!”

“Easy there, Kiddo! You are not alone, you know, there are plenty of women out there who are doing the same thing and asserting their individuality. Maybe your generation will have proved that a woman is much more than a carrier of life, she is life herself!” –Pooh laughed.

Myra laughed then, free flowing laughter that filled her being and made her feel much lighter than she had felt in a long time. She was life herself, indeed.

This time laughter stayed with her even after she  woke up from the dream.