Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great
Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction
you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll
look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some
you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full
of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too
smart to go down any not-so-good street. And you may not find any
you'll want to go down. In that case, of course, you'll
head straight out of town. It's opener there in the wide open
air. Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as
brainy and footsy as you. And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll
start happening too. OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! You'll be
on y our way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll
join the high fliers who soar to high heights. You won't
lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass
the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you
fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will
top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes,
you won't. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all
hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch. You'll come down from the
Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that
you'll be in a Slump. And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not
easily done. You will come to a place where the streets are not
marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to
stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much
can you win? And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go
around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it's not,
I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up
his mind. You can get so confused that you'll start in to
race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on
for miles cross weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a
most useless place. The Waiting Place......for people just
waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane
to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to
ring, or the snow to snow or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for the wind to fly
a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps,
for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a
string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or
Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting. NO! That's not for
you! Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready
for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind of
a guy! Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the
magical things you can do with that ball will make you the
winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be as famous as
famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't Because, sometimes they won't.
I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot. And when you're alone, there's
a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right
out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither
and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go
though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks
howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may
get sore and your sneakers may leak. 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 foget
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 the Great Places! Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!
♥
Dr.Suess
5 faves · May 15, 2011 8:06pm