The gentle art of improvising life

What do you do when you run into a situation and you think something is missing? What about those moments when reality looks completely different from what you expected?
Well, let’s have a look at what two of literature’s finest daredevils decide to do: Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. Let us dive straight into the story.
Christopher Robin was sitting outside his door, putting on his Big Boots. As soon as Pooh saw the Big Boots, he knew that an Adventure was going to happen, and he brushed the honey off his nose, and tidied himself up as well as he could, so as to look Ready for Anything.
The boots. It is such a simple image, but it is incredibly powerful, and it completely stays with you.
I love that Pooh tidies himself up. Honestly, how many times have I done that exact same thing? You walk into a situation, you notice that something major is about to happen, and you ask yourself: Am I up for it? Do I look like I am up for it? You desperately want to be! So, if you don’t happen to have your own Big Boots with you, you do the next best thing. You wipe the honey off your nose and tidy yourself up.

Defining the „Expotition“
Once you look the part, you need a plan—even if you have absolutely no idea what the plan actually means.
“We are all going on an Expedition,“ said Christopher Robin.
„Going on an Expotition?“ said Pooh eagerly. „I don’t think I’ve ever been on one of those. Where are we going to on this Expotition?“
„Expedition, silly old Bear.“
„Oh!“ said Pooh. „I know.“ But he didn’t really.
„We’re going to discover the North Pole.“
„Oh!“ said Pooh again. „What is the North Pole?“
„It’s just a thing you discover,“ said Christopher Robin.
„Oh! I see,“ said Pooh. „Are bears any good at discovering it?“
„Of course they are.“
„Expedition“ is a long, heavy word, and Pooh does not know it. So, what does he do? He gently adapts it into an „Expotition.“ It immediately feels much more manageable. Armed with this new vocabulary, the whole crew sets off together: Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Piglet, and Eeyore.
Eventually, they come to a stream twisting and tumbling between high, rocky banks. Christopher Robin sees at once how dangerous it is.
„It’s just the place,“ he explained, „for an Ambush.“
„What sort of bush?“ whispered Pooh, “a gorse-bush?“
„My dear Pooh,“ said Owl in his superior way, „don’t you know what an Ambush is?“ …“An Ambush, … is a sort of Surprise.“
„So is a gorse-bush sometimes,“ said Pooh.
„If people jump out at you suddenly, that’s an Ambush,“ said Owl.
Pooh, who now knew what an Ambush was, said that a gorse-bush had sprung at him suddenly one day when he fell off a tree, and he had taken six days to get all the prickles out of himself.
„We are not talking about gorse-bushes,“ said Owl a little crossly.
„I am,“ said Pooh.
Just like Pooh, I sometimes prefer to prove that I was right all along rather than admit I was wrong. I love how he adapts his take on reality. It wasn’t that he carelessly fell into a gorse-bush; the gorse-bush sprung at him suddenly. It is brilliant, and it is so wonderfully playful.

Fake It ‚Til You Find It
As the journey continues, a slight logistical problem arises: nobody actually knows what they are looking for.
„It’s—I wondered—It’s only—Rabbit, I suppose you don’t know, What does the North Pole look like?“
„Well,“ said Rabbit, stroking his whiskers. „Now you’re asking me.“
„I did know once, only I’ve sort of forgotten,“ said Christopher Robin carelessly.
„It’s a funny thing,“ said Rabbit, „but I’ve sort of forgotten too, although I did know once.“
„I suppose it’s just a pole stuck in the ground?“
„Sure to be a pole,“ said Rabbit, „because of calling it a pole, and if it’s a pole, well, I should think it would be sticking in the ground, shouldn’t you, because there’d be nowhere else to stick it.“
„Yes, that’s what I thought.“
„The only thing,“ said Rabbit, „is, where is it sticking?“
„That’s what we’re looking for,“ said Christopher Robin.“
Here is the grand head of the expedition, quietly pulling a teammate aside to ask, „What is it again? I forgot.“ It is just spectacular. Christopher Robin is adapting too, trying his best not to admit his cluelessness. The extra funny part is that the whole trip was his idea in the first place!
I have absolutely been there before. You want to do something, you start moving, but you have no actual idea what you are doing. Sometimes, the forward motion and the action are simply more important than the map.
Suddenly, an accident happens. Little Roo falls into the rushing water, and Kanga is frantic. They desperately need something long to pull Roo out. Pooh finds a long stick, uses it to rescue Roo, and saves the day.
But Christopher Robin wasn’t listening. He was looking at Pooh.
„Pooh,“ he said, „where did you find that pole?“
Pooh looked at the pole in his hands.
„I just found it,“ he said. „I thought it ought to be useful. I just picked it up.“
„Pooh,“ said Christopher Robin solemnly, „the Expedition is over. You have found the North Pole!“
„Oh!“ said Pooh.
It just feels right. The pole is there, they had a real adventure rescuing Roo, and they have an unexpected hero: Pooh!
You can really feel the magic in this moment. The magic is all about seizing the opportunity. Christopher Robin strikes the absolute right chord at the exact right time. It is a brilliant piece of improvisation that beautifully marries imagination with reality. How often have you found the exact thing you needed entirely by accident? It is a deeply recognizable human experience.
With the North Pole successfully discovered, the day is won.
Then they all went home again. And Pooh went back to his own house, and feeling very proud of what he had done, had a little something to revive himself.
Again, how many times have I done that? You come home after a long day of hard work, you look around your kitchen, and you think: What can I treat myself to?

The Silent Rebel on the Sofa
I love reading this book at the end of a very long day when I just want to reduce things. It helps me take everything I have experienced and boil it down to a comforting essence.
Even though it is written as a children’s book, Winnie-the-Pooh is incredibly multi-layered. The characters act as these perfect, timeless archetypes. When I read it in the evening, it serves me in so many ways. I will often catch myself thinking, “Oh, that person I was dealing with yesterday? They are a total Owl,” or “They are such a Pooh.” That quick moment of recognition always makes me smile. It is a place I can go just to be calm and find a bit of peace.
Someone once told me that Winnie-the-Pooh is a book for people who don’t want to grow up.
I would look at it a bit differently. I think it is for someone who knows that life is absolutely about growing up, but just not completely. It tells us that life does not always have to be so incredibly heavy. Instead, you can keep things playful. You can be a bit of a silent rebel against the seriousness of the world.
The true essence of this story is the beautiful art of improvising. It is about what Christopher Robin does, and exactly when he chooses to do it. It teaches us how to seize the moment, because everything in life comes down to timing. Do things when they feel right!
First, go out on the adventure and put on your Big Boots. And second, when it feels right, call it a day and go have a little something to revive yourself. (Smile)