My Co-Pilot? Why, It's Pooh Bear

Since the warmer weather is now coming into focus here at Cedar's Mountain, I've run into the problem of what exactly should I do with Pooh bear?

To refresh, I've spent the winter months with Pooh bear safely stashed inside the front pocket of my jacket. But since he's come back from his winter home in the Bahamas (or Bermuda, Key West, Hawaii, wherever it's warm where you're not), I have been at a loss as to where he could stay.

Obviously he couldn't stay in my jacket, because unlike some teenagers, I don't wear a wickedly heavy jacket in the warm weather. In the 'tween months (March thru early April), I wear my hoody to keep me protected from the elements. Obviously, I can't really carry Pooh bear in my hoody very well, now can I? I could stash him in one of my pockets, but that would give the appearance that he is napping all the time.

However, when I'm carrying him in my pocket, he isn't napping, but is resting in between photo shoots.

Yes, I said, photo shoots.

Sometime later this year, I will be posting up a picture series featuring Pooh Bear called (what else) "A Day In The Life."

But I blogress.

Anyways, I soon arrived at a solution about what to do with Pooh Bear. I made him my shotgun passenger. I gave him his own little seat in the cup holder net to me, so he gets to ride around and have a good time pretending to drive.

Sometimes, when I'm in a good mood, I'll let him ride shotgun. He's a great passenger, because he never complains and looks at life with a gentle grin, a twinkle in his eye, and Bit O Honey candy bar in his hands.

The one thing that he does very well, for which the surrounding world should be very grateful for, is that he helps reduce the potential need to get nasty with the human race.

Unlike what you see here on my blog and on your blog (or your Facebook wall should we happen to be friends there), in the real world I have a tendency to be wickedly anti-social. I throw out the kind of vibes and body language that says in no uncertain terms that you should not even look in my direction at all.

Pooh Bear though, he acts like a necessary buffer. Yes, I said, buffer. Don't tell me that you don't have some kind of buffer that helps keep you in check when you get the urge to get ugly on someone? We all have a buffer of some kind, and my buffer happens to be Pooh Bear.

Now you may think that's funny, but if you think about it, it really isn't. It's very hard to get angry at people when you're toting around a Pooh bear. I originally started toting around Pooh bear because he was a great conversation starter with children and adults of all ages. But as the months progressed, it became clear that Pooh Bear was not just a good conversation starter, but a necessary break from reality.

Think about it. I'm sure that somewhere tucked away in the deepest darkest corners of your inner self, you have a certain something that gives you that needed break from reality. Something that you would only share with close family members, if you'd shared it at all. Well, Pooh Bear is my certain something that gives me that needed break from reality.

To me, Pooh Bear is more than just a needed break from reality. He's a link to a not-so-distant past where things were a bit easier, a bit mellower, and less stressful.

And maybe just as importantly, he allows me to show a side of myself that I often keep well hidden from my family, my friends and most of my co-workers.

Life is more than just noisy shiny crap.

It contains a few gentle things as well.

Like Pooh.