Facing Things...

Today is the solstice and the first day of winter. Winter light whispers softly to me. What it is saying? “Go gently, as this is a time of transition and renewal”. The longest night is also a turning point for reflection, gratitude, and vision. It is a pause that honors nature’s rhythm. It is a time of darkness and rebirth. A time of hope and healing, nurturing one’s physical and spiritual self. I am embracing the dark, this time of transformation much as the she-bear is doing, focusing on rest and regeneration. It’s also a reminder of the natural and cosmological laws that govern us all, from the tides that ebb and flow with the moon’s phases to the stars that helped guide people around the world for thousands of years. 

I saw a quote that was attributed to David Kessler that inspired me. “What we run from pursues us. What we face transforms us.” Such simple words but such deep implications and so very true. The creator of Pippi Longstocking was advocating that everyone face the nastiness of bullying and resist it, rather than run from it.

The story of Pippi Longstocking was unknown to me as a child, I would have loved her! In my adult life I DO love her and she has become a heroine. She faced things head-on and lived authentically by her own light, as did her creator. Pippi has a beautiful independent spirit; she is genuinely kind and always refuses to bow to bullies. How many of us have experienced bullying to one degree or another during our lives? I am sure most everyone has. Pippi’s creator, Astrid Lindgren’s intention in creating Pippi was to push back against bullies. 

Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson was born on November 14, 1907, in Vimmerby, Sweeden. We share a birthday but not the year! She had an older brother and two younger sisters. When Astrid finished her schooling, she took a position with the local newspaper, Vimmerby Tiding. She had a romantic relationship with the chief editor and became pregnant. Of course, this caused quite a local scandal, causing her to more to Stockholm, where she learned clerical skills to support herself as a secretary. She gave birth to her only son, Lars, in 1926. Lars was fostered for four years but was eventually returned to her. 

Two years after his birth, Astrid worked as a secretary at Sweeden’s Royal Automobile Club. While working at the Automobile Club, a romantic relationship formed with her boss, Sture Lindgren, and they were married in 1931. The couple had one child, a daughter, Karin, who was born in 1934. 

Before she became a full-time author, Astrid worked as a secretary, journalist and mother. In 1933, she reported on the Summer Grand Prix. The famous criminalist Harry Soderman employed as a secretary during the 1940s. In 1944, Astrid began writing and won second prize in a competition held by the book publishing company Raben and Sjogren. The following year she won first prize in the same competition with her chapter book, Pippy Langstrump (Longstocking) which has become one of the most beloved children’s books in the world and translated into over one hundred languages. Astrid had become a very celebrated author, but her irreverent attitude toward adult authority drew much displeasure from conservatives. 

Undeterred, Astrid believed that the environment in which children were raised shaped their lives and the adults they would become. She often said “Children should be raised “not to e psychopaths like Hitler or authoritarians, dictators, and so on.” Throughout WW II, Astrid was a vocal and ardent opponent of the far-right racist regime. The Swedish postal control center employed her in the summer of 1940. It was a top-secret position, reading and monitoring sensitive information. It was through this work that she learned about the Nazi death camps long before most civilians. She said: “As long as you’re only reading about it in the paper you can sort of avoid believing it but when you read it in a letter... it suddenly brings it home, quite terrifyingly.”

During this horrific and dark time, Astrid found refuge in storytelling. Pippi was first invented to distract her daughter, Karin. Karen was the one who came up with the name Pippi Longstocking. The first Pippi book was published in 1945, and Astrid’s great-grandson, Johan Palmberg, said: “The world had been in this terrible situation for many years, and she comes as this fresh breath of air. She’s the antidote to the authoritarian regimes of Germany and the Soviets. She has all these characteristics of independence, free-thinking and kindness, which is the antithesis to the Nazi ideology.” 

Pippi is celebrating her eightieth birthday, and it is quite amazing that her story is still remarkably relevant. Of this, Johan Palmberg said: “Her independence, kindness and generosity are needed more than ever.”

Astrid Lindgren continued to write many books and receive many awards. Her books continued to be translated into many languages. By 2010, she had sold approximately 167 million books worldwide, and she is the 18th most translated author. 

Astrid’s spirit and message live on, and we need them now, maybe more than ever. 

Wishing you peace, love, and joy…here’s to facing things head-on as Astrid and Pippi did - and transformation! Happy Wintering. 

NOTE: This site will have a whole new look and will be changing very soon thanks to my dear friends, The Transformers! More to come very soon.