"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 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 the 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 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 a 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.
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 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 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!"
-Oh the Places You Will Go by Dr. Suess