Dr. Seuss had to make his way into my blogs eventually and, lo and behold, I have saved his books for the last blog! Like most children, I absolutely loved Dr. Seuss books when I was little. The fun rhymes and silly stories were such a joy. Past the wackiness, though, these books often had strong meanings. The Lorax, Whorton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, to mention a few, have wonderful meanings that compliment their silly stories. Although, I did not have a stand out favorite when I was little, I remember particularly liking, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, and Yertle the Turtle. I sporadically read the Dr. Seuss books throughout my childhood, as is required for all children.
In my senior year of high school, much removed from Dr. Seuss books, I once again encountered these wonderful stories. It was senior awards night, where seniors are awarded for excelling in a particular area of study. Three people were going to be awarded the English award, and, as a struggling writer who was not even in AP English, I had absolutely no expectation of winning. Although I still do not know why, I did in fact win the English award, of all things. When they called my name, I turned bright red and walked at a quickened pace to the front of the auditorium, so that I could get back to my seat as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they made me nervously stand up front and wait for the other two names to be called. Once we were all standing in the front of the auditorium, instead of handing us a certificate, like all of the other awards, my English teacher gave me three beautifully wrapped objects, which were obviously books. The rest of the award ceremony went painfully slow, as I pondered about which literary classics I had been given. When I finally returned home after the ceremony, I opened the books, one of which was Oh, the Places You’ll Go. I was so touched that I think I almost cried. It was such a perfect book to be given at that time. It was no Shakespeare or Hemingway, but it was perfect. That night I once again read Oh, the Places You’ll Go, as I contemplated where I could go in my life. I thought back to my childhood dreams that I formulated reading this wonderful Dr. Seuss book. I was going to be a princess, a veterinarian, the Pink Power Ranger, a spy, a professional soccer player, a mermaid, or an astronaut. Rereading Oh, the Places You’ll Go reminded me to keep dreaming silly, crazy dreams. Sometimes I may get trapped by my doubts and fail to dream big, but I will always have Oh, the Places You’ll Go to remind me that:
“On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”
~Dr. Seuss Oh, the Places You’ll Go!