BEING AN EEYORE

llustration from A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

Eeyore never had to become Tigger to be loved.

That mattered to me long before I understood why.

Eeyore could be quiet. He could be sad. He could sit things out. He could simply be Eeyore.

And he was never any less a part of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Still his friends. Still his family. Still loved.

Peter Cullen gave that little donkey his voice.

For those of us who needed Eeyore, that was a hell of a gift.

Rest easy, Peter. Thank you for bringing Eeyore to life for us. 💔

Illustration from A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

Sometimes We Just Need an Eeyore

Peter Cullen gave us the unforgettable voice of Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh—that slow, melancholy voice that seemed to say, “Things probably aren’t going to get any better.”

And yet, Eeyore taught us something beautiful about caring.

He didn’t need someone to cheer him up. He needed someone who would stay.

The other characters didn’t always understand Eeyore. They didn’t always know what to say. But they kept showing up. They included him. They noticed him. They made room for him.

Maybe that’s one of the simplest—and most powerful—things we can do for another person.

We don’t always need the right words.

We don’t have to fix their sadness, solve their problem, or talk them into seeing the bright side.

Sometimes the most caring thing we can say is simply:

“I’m here. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

That’s being, becoming an even more, Caring Catalyst.

Not always changing someone’s circumstances.

Sometimes just making sure they don’t have to face them by themselves.