Defined by a Word, a Pooh or a Shoe

When I was in college a friend of mine once declared, “Julie, if you were a shoe you’d be a plain, brown wedge!”

Those of us gathered at the time proceeded to have an amusing discussion about what kind of shoe best described each of us – a spiky patent-leather pump, a penny loafer, a running shoe, or perhaps a comfy slipper … We were able to capture each personality with a shoe type amazingly well.

My children recently hit me with a different kind of personality profile – this one had a distinct pre-school twist. “Mom,” they said. “You’re just like Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh.”

Rabbit? Grouchy, humorless, all-business-no-play Rabbit?

OUCH! This is considerably more troubling than being a plain, brown wedge. So, I responded defensively, “OK, if I’m Rabbit, what’s daddy?”

You already know their response. “Tigger,” they chimed in unison, as if I should already know that. I rolled my eyes and briefly wondered if they had premeditated the entire conversation to destroy my self-image as a mother. Then I remembered one of them is eyeing a career as Santa Claus and another still worries about falling down the toilet.

It could be worse, I thought, at least they didn’t call me Eeyore. I have since overcome this heartless assault by convincing myself this is the plight of all mothers. We are the schedule keepers and task masters. Daddies bounce in for fun and games – wrestling, chasing, and whipping everyone into a frenzy right before bedtime. Moms assume the thankless job of restoring order and calm, just like trusty ole, underappreciated Rabbit.

The Pooh personality test is an entertaining exercise. With a little generalization, just about everyone can be cast as a character in Pooh. Hillary Clinton is quintessential Rabbit -- purposeful, policy-oriented, serious. Barack Obama personifies Roo – young, energetic and optimistic. George Bush could be Pooh – friendly and affable. John Kerry was Eeyore – negative and naysaying. John Hoeven is Christopher Robin – deliberate and astute, like an older brother.

The book “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert briefly explores a similar notion, that people and places can be defined by a single word. For example, New York City’s word is ACHIEVE. Los Angeles is SUCCESS. John McCain is SURVIVE.

I’ve enjoyed trying to find the perfect words to define people and places near me. Fargo is AMBITION. Bismarck is HOME. Dickinson is RESOURCEFUL. My mom’s word is FAMILY, while my dad’s is clearly PROVIDE. My husband is PLAYFUL.

As for me, I’ve somewhat begrudgingly accepted that my word is SENSIBLE. I tried hard to find a more captivating term, but ultimately sensible is what I am. I love a good bargain, a meaningful conversation, and saving time and money. I live for schedules and lists, although I certainly am not ORGANIZED. I enjoy going out but rarely have “too much fun.” Suffering ill consequences the next day is just not sensible.

Interestingly, my friends essentially pegged me with this term 20 years ago when they called me a “plain brown wedge.”

This begs the question, how much can we change our basic nature? Can Bismarck become “hip?” Probably. Can I? Probably not. But I can appreciate others around me who embody different words, shoe types or characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. I need Tiggers around to make me step out of my sensible, plain-brown wedges from time to time.