Some stories stick with you.
One of my first favorite stories was “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. It was published in 1902, well before I cam along. But by the time I got on the scene, the story was alive and well. In fact, it was thriving. I read that little book 100 times if I read it once. That crazy Peter, always trying to get the best of McGregor.
But, when I was a kid, I didn’t think about the person behind the story. The one who wrote it. In fact, I’m not sure there was any correlation there at all. But Beatrix Potter was an interesting character in her own right.
She didn’t start the book out as a book. It started as a letter, to one of her friend’s sick sons. This was in 1893 and the kid was a 5-year-old named Noel Moore. She wrote: “I don’t know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were—Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.” And then, what followed in her letter, was much of the original story of Peter Rabbit. It even included first drafts of illustrations that later made it into the book.
Lucky kid. Except for being sick, and all. The historians never write about what happened to the boy. I hope he got better. Anyway. That’s how Peter Rabbit got started.
Maybe. She might have had the loop playing in her head for a long time before that. The story kept on playing after. That’s for sure. You see, Beatrix Potter had a rabbit named Peter. Sure enough, the first name came from her hoppity little character.
Her real rabbit was a Belgian buck rabbit. Evidently, she spent a lot of time with the bunny — observing it, drawing it. She’d also take it out for walks on a leash. He was one smart rabbit. She told people that he was clever at learning tricks, like jumping through a hoop, and ringing a bell, and playing the tambourine. A house pet too. He used to “lie in front of the fire like a cat.”
I have a lot of admiration for her. I’ve tried a few times to write a children’s book, but it doesn’t get far in a hurry. I get a little too cynical and dark. Kids would be crying. Besides, I’d have to write stories about “Lou the Leg-Lifter. An Adventure in Peeing.” Or, “Ollie Goes On A Diet. Again.”
Yeah, I just don’t see it panning out.
Well. Thank the heavens for the likes of Beatrix Potter and her scheming Rabbit. Peter probably should’ve have listened to his mother. But then there wouldn’t have been any story to tell. Which is probably the case with most of us. The stories that really stick with us. Where we learn our best lessons.
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Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
— Albert Einstein
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The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
— Sylvia Plath
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We have the capacity for infinite creativity.
— Jackie Gleason
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