Oh, the Places You'll Go!

One of my favorite books is still "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. You see it in the store every year around this time, graduation time. It makes a good gift. It was one of his last best sellers. It can be interpreted at several levels. It is full of wisdom put in a catchy way.

I first remember using it in my classroom when I taught a precocious 2nd and 3rd combo at Vista. We did a full musical, "Really Rosie" by Carole King and we did this book as a group Choral Verse with scenery and props. It was so much fun I did it again that summer in Summer School at Chaparral. We had an artist father who helped us with the perspective of the backdrop scenery. We did alot of physical sight-gags and group-motion on stage.

It starts with the premise that the reader has "brains in his head and feet in his shoes" and it is up to them which directions to choose in his life. It talks about "not so good streets" and heading straight out of town. I look back at raising my sons and realize that happened and is happening to them. They are all better traveled that I am even at my advanced age. Two of my grandchildren have been places I haven't been. This is good. I still want to travel and Betty and I have plans we will act upon soon I hope. The books talks about not worrying when "things start to happen", we'll start happening too. We took a hiatus on travel after 9-11 and our plane trip back from Italy. It was a nightmare.

The book goes on to be very "up" and positive until it talks about "Bang-ups and Hang-ups" that can happen. The gang will leave you in the lurch...and you'll be in a slump. I can see this happening too. It may still be. "Unslumping yourself is not easily done." It talks about streets that are not marked, windows not lighted, mostly they're darked. It is very hard to decide what to do, even for a "mind-maker-upper" like you. You feel lost and don't know whether to enter from the front, left or right or sneak in from behind. Then you'll find yourself racing at break-neck speed to a most useless place ie. "the Waiting Place" Marking time and trying to decided what to do with your life. Waiting for a Better Break or Another Chance, just a Yes or a No. I think I'm observing this happening now. Praying and hoping he will escape as the book suggests. It talks about becoming famous and then choosing not to be.

It talks about playing lonely games, "games you can't win" because you are playing against yourself. It talks about being scared "right out of your pants" so much you won't want to go on. But, hopefully, it talks about going on "though the Hakken-Kraks howl" and facing up to your problems whatever they are. Sometimes I think I feel like a Hakken-Krak. It then warns about getting mixed up with many strange birds...and the best line, "Life's a Great Balancing Act!" How true!

Since my theme remains, Self-Preservation, these are certainly words of advice I live by and hope my sons do also. I am "moving mountains" as the book suggests and I am doing it through this blog, believe it or not. I am setting records...98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed. My heart goes out to my loved ones almost daily in thoughts and prayers. Giving them space to go to the places they need to go (or just waiting) is what I can best do now. Bob