Little did I know. An epic event occurred on this date. And all these years, I never knew. A nice lady, named Daphne, gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Chris. Specifically, Christopher Robin.
Yes, Daphne was the wife of writer A.A. Milne. Now, when little Christopher Robin was born, I bet they had no immediate idea that he would be immortalized in A.A. Milne’s books. Some of my favorite books, ever, by the way. Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.
Yes. The epic. It goes back a step to A.A. Milne’s parents. A.A. was born in London in 1882, and was the youngest of three sons. His Dad’s name was John Vine Milne, and his Mom was Sarah Marie Heginbotham Milne. I am quite sure his parents had no idea that greatness was just born. They were both schoolteachers.
Here’s another cool bit. A.A. Milne’s Dad — John — was the headmaster at the school where H.G. Wells taught. That’s H.G. — as in The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. I think something was in the water.
Anyway, this is really more about A.A. Milne than anyone. A.A. stood for Alan Alexander. So, yes, A.A. for short.
He struggled for years as a writer. But. He landed a job at a magazine called Punch and did pretty well there. Until World War I broke out. In 1913, he married Daphne and two years later went to France to serve in World War I.
He did a lot more than fighting while he was in the military. He wrote three plays — one of which was Mr. Pim Passes By. That play became a really huge hit in 1919 and provided financial security for the family.
Then, in 1920, Christopher Robin, was born.
Five years later, the family bought a big farm called Cotchford Farm. And it was THERE that a nearby forest inspired the 100-Acre Wood. And hence, our boy Winnie-the-Pooh and all his adventures. Epic inspiration.
Winnie really started when Christopher Robin was about one. Kids get presents, and wouldn’t you know, he got a stuffed bear. He then accumulated a collection of similar animals. And these toys inspired A.A. Winnie-the-Pooh was published in 1926 and The House at Pooh Corner in 1928.
I didn’t have a stuffed bear as a kid. I had a Sock Monkey, but there aren’t many monkeys in the 100 Acre Wood. These days I have a Teddy Bear dog, so I guess I’m moving in the right direction. Toward what, I am not sure. Possible epic inspiration.
Happy Birthday Chris. And good wishes to your little bear too.
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“In every journey comes a moment… one like no other. And in that moment, you must decide between who you are… and who you want to be.”
― J.C. Marino, Dante’s Journey
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“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
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“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
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