A Fable about leadership, teamwork, unity, and of course, honey…
It was a lovely morning in the Hundred Acre Wood, where Christopher Robin’s friends lived and played. The bees were abuzz making their honey (and You-Know-Who knew just who it was for).
Kanga had already gotten an early start on motherly things, while Roo was playing close by.
Piglet was pacing about his tidy home saying “Oh Dear, Dear, Dear” because he knew something Important was about to happen, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was.
Rabbit was tending his garden, nervously glancing around for signs that he soon may be bounced by Tigger.
Eeyore was a bit confused as he chomped on a thistle because he couldn’t think of anything to be gloomy about.
Owl was remembering the time to no one in particular that his great uncle Waldo on his mother’s side did something famous because it happened on a lovely day such as today.
And Winnie the Pooh? Being a Bear of Very Little Brain, he was sitting at the Thotful Spot, thinking. And wishing for just a bit of honey, because as everyone knows, bears think better when their tumblies aren’t so rumbly. And there’s nothing like honey to take the rumbly out of the tumbly.
This was no ordinary day after all. This was the day of the Grand Celebration. They weren’t quite sure what they were celebrating, but everyone had agreed that today would be a fine day to celebrate it.
It all started when restless Roo and playful Tigger were frolicking in the forest and Roo said for no particular reason something like, “We should have a party tomorrow and invite all our friends.”
“Tiggers love parties!” the bouncy cat replied. “We should invite old long ears!”
“We should invite everybody!” Roo exclaimed. “We will call it the Grand Celebration.”
“Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Tiggers love Grand! And the more the merrier,” Tigger exclaimed.
And so it was decided. And the playful pair started to invite their friends.
“Mama!” Roo said. “Tomorrow we’re going to have a Grand Celebration! Will you come?”
“That will be nice, dear,” Kanga said, busy with dinner. “Just be careful and make sure to clean up your mess.”
“Ooooh, Tigger!” Rabbit shouted as he shook the dirt from his face and ears. “Stop bouncing me!”
“Can’t help it, ole’ buddy ole’ pal. We’re having a Grand Celebration tomorrow, and everybody’s invited. And you know, Tiggers love Celebrations. Can ya’ come? Well? Can ya’?”
“If you’ll promise not to sneak up on me and bounce me into tomorrow (sigh), I suppose I can come,” Rabbit replied. Everyone knew that also meant Rabbit’s Friends and Relations.
“Will there be honey?” Pooh asked when Tigger and Roo told him the Delightful News.
“Of course!” Roo said gleefully. “What’s a Celebration without honey? Now Pooh, would you invite Piglet and Owl?”
“That’s a fine idea,” the chubby cub said as he made off for Piglet’s house in the middle of the beech-tree.
Piglet was sweeping in front of his door and thinking about his grandfather, Trespassers Will, when Pooh walked by, lost in thought.
“Hello, Pooh!” he said. “Where are you going?”
“Oh, hello, Piglet! I’m going to see Owl and… oh… well… there you are. Not Owl, of course. You’re Piglet. But I’m coming to invite you to the Grand Honey Celebration tomorrow.”
“Oh my,” Piglet exclaimed. “I never knew Honey had its own Celebration. I would be most delighted to come.”
“It was my idea,” Pooh said.
“The celebration?” Piglet asked.
“No, the honey, I’m sure.”
“So how are we celebrating?” Piglet wanted to know because Piglets ask questions like that.
“Oh, in the usual way, I suppose,” Pooh replied.
Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Roo and Tigger had caught up with Eeyore, who had just figured out that he would never think of a day of the week that didn’t end in “Y” because, well, they all did, and that was pretty disappointing for some reason.
“Eeyore,” Roo squealed. “Do you want to come to the Grand Celebration tomorrow?”
“Don’t see much reason to celebrate,” Eeyore droned in his low voice. “But thanks for noticin’ me all the same.”
“Come on, Long Face!” Tigger chimed in. “Everybody’s gonna be there.”
“Suppose I will,” Eeyore said. “It’s not like I have anything else to do, which I don’t.”
Owl told his friends Pooh and Piglet much the same thing, but he took a whole lot longer to say it, what with telling stories about other Grand Celebrations he was reminded of so that by the time he was finished nobody remembered for a minute or two why Piglet and Pooh had knocked on Owl’s door in the first place.
And so the Day arrived. Rabbit was wondering what time the festivities were supposed to begin and, of course, in what particular order they were to take place. But no one had bothered to establish a proper starting time. So he and his Friends and Relations stayed busy – or at least looked so.
Piglet was a bit disturbed that no one had mentioned whether Heffalumps or Woozles had been invited and was considering sending his regrets, but wasn’t quite sure whom to regret to.
Roo was getting into some sort of mischief when he was supposed to be cleaning up his room, while Kanga was hanging laundry on the line and planning meals and worrying about her boy’s safety and things.
Eeyore had been looking yet again for a lost tail when he found an especially tasty clump of thistles.
Tigger had forgotten his promise to Rabbit and was bouncing at breakneck speed toward his vegetable garden – the one that had the sign saying, “NO TRESPASING, STEELIG, OR BOUNSING.”
And Winnie the Pooh was just about to explain to Christopher Robin that today was National Honey Day or something like that. Or if not, it should be.
When all was said and done it was a fine day. But there was no Grand Celebration, even though everybody had agreed to have one.
Agreement is one thing. But sometimes agreement isn’t enough. Grand Celebrations call for something more. Something like teamwork and Unity. Grand Celebrations are the result of having:
One spirit – committed to mutual success.
One mind – agreed on the same goals and on the priority of those goals.
One effort – “rowing in the same direction,” toward the same prize.
“Christopher Robin,” said Winnie the Pooh to his Friend.
“Yes, Pooh?”
“Do you suppose that if tomorrow we had a party for the bees, they could bring the refreshments?”
“Silly old bear.”