Toot or Puddle?

On a recent Sunday morning Bekah (8) and I enjoyed reading Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie. The adorable porcine pair lives in fictional Woodcock Pocket, and each has his own personality.

Toot leaves Woodcock Pocket for a grand adventure—a trip around the world—but Puddle is content to enjoy the pleasures of home. While Toot is swimming with hippos in Africa, Puddle is ice skating on Pocket Pond. While Toot is snorkeling off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, Puddle is jumping in puddles during “mud season.” While Toot is exploring the Louvre, Puddle is painting his own version of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”

I am Puddle.

I feel no compulsion to see the world, climb Mt. Everest, or travel to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a mule. Not while there is an old farmhouse on six acres, surrounded by fields and woods with inviting paths. Not while there is fresh coffee in the pot and Kati’s lemony cake on the kitchen table. Not while candles are burning and the beds are all made and said farmhouse is clean(ish). Life’s simple pleasures are enough.

There is a place in this world for Toot. In fact, there are several Toots in my own family...and I love their sense of adventure. If it were up to the Puddles of the world, lands would remain undiscovered, resources would be untapped, technological advances would have stalled. We need Toots!

But I am content to be a Puddle and, hopefully, create a refuge for the Toots when they’re between adventures.

Who are you?