Kid, you will move mountains!

As my kid graduated from Eric Carles’ to Rachel Brights’ as a pre-schooler, he began to be less amused by his books while I began to wonder if the books were meant for toddlers at all!? Such pearls of wisdom on life, as I quote:

“It felt like the scariest thing he could do…But if you want things to change, you first have to change YOU” – The Lion Inside

“Because life can be GREAT, when you try something NEW” – The Koala who Could, but loved his status quo until life threw him off his plan!

“Cyril and Bruce, they had taken a fall. They were paying the price for wanting it all.” – The Squirrels who Squabbled

“But sometimes when you’re different, You just need a different song. We all can dance, he said, when we find music that we love.” – Giraffes Can’t Dance

I felt these books were meant as reminders for toddler parents, at a very critical juncture of parenthood. The children are soon going to step out into the wider world, finding and charting their own paths amidst expectations from parents, influence from peers and pressures from society. The parents have already come too far in life. So, time to look back, reflect and revise what it meant and took to be where they are today from when they were kids – no better way to develop empathy for the child’s journey to come and support them better!

Despite this percipience, I generally slowed down on investing in such wise literature for my kid and moved to something more age appropriate for then. But finally as he starts school for the first time, I couldn’t resist buying him an expensive hard cover version of “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Suess. A very very long verse which won’t be appreciated perhaps until he is a teenager – but until then I will keep reading to him, and (through him) to myself at all low or critical points in our life journeys!

This may seem like a mushy post from an overwhelmed and emotional mom of a kid who is stepping out for the first time. While I am one such mom, the purpose of this article is not what it seems! I am sharing this on LinkedIn for each and any one of us in any stage of life (esp professional), who needs to look at the highs and lows of life in a matter-of-fact way, who is waiting for something good to happen, who needs some unashamed optimism right now. This verse below is pure inspiration!

Here it goes –

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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 a 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 when 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 your 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 across 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 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 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.

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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!

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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 famous as famous can be,

with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

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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 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 ? percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

?or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea,

you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…GET ON YOUR WAY!