Oh, the Places You'll Go!

When I was a small child, my family often referred to me as Cindy Lou Who as my over-sized eyes and ski-slope button nose resembled those of the endearing Grinch character. From the age of 3 or so, I proudly puffed out my chest and batted my lashes to fulfill my nickname. I've felt a close connection to Dr. Seuss ever since.

Green eggs and ham day was my favorite memory of kindergarten. I religiously read Go, Dog, Go! and firmly believed that I would someday own a cobalt-blue or bright green canine companion. I watched the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas on repeat every December and was first in line when the Jim Carey version opened at the theaters.

You could say I've got a thing for the doctor.

Our relationship has faded over the years, however. Though the annual viewing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original, of course) hasn't gone away, my other connections to Dr. Seuss have dissipated in my adult life.

Until now.

In packing for my big move to San Francisco today, I came across this:

My sister gifted me with this book at my college graduation (please note "party edition" under the title), and though it resonated deeply with me at the time, its message didn't hold a candle to my life then as it does now. Because now, not only am I moving to a new city, I am totally redefining my career.

I am really, really excited for this new chapter. I'm working hard to try something new, to follow a passion that's become evident in my adult life. I just know that I'm on the brink of excellence.

But. Every once in a while the excited flutter in my chest falls to dread in my stomach. I am, after all, moving to one of the most expensive cities in the country without a job.

That thought was circulating my mind while I was packing today. So, when I came across Oh, the Places You'll Go!, I welcomed the distraction that the glittery cover offered me. A smile instantly spread across my face as soon as I read the first page.

"Congratulations! 
Today is your day. 
You're off to Great Places! 
You're off and away!"

You're so right, Dr. Seuss, I thought to myself, so right. Hungry for encouragement, I read on.

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose."

Yes, yes I do, I thought, nodding my head, and yes, yes I can.

"And when things start to happen,
 don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too." 

Yes, I will!

"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."

Duh!

"I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups 
and Hang-ups
can happen to you."

Noted.

"You can get so confused
that you'll start 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."

That's where I am right now, at this present moment. I'm a resident of The Waiting Place. Waiting for someone to give me a chance. I know that I can do it all; I just need the offer. With that chance, I'll be off to great places with brains in my head and know that I will be the best of the best.

"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS."

I will! I will move mountains!
 

 

See! That's photographic proof of me moving 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!"

I'm ready to leave The Waiting Place. I'm almost out, I can feel it. I oh so badly needed Dr. Seuss's words of wisdom today, needed his encouragement.

My mountain is waiting; it's time to go move it.