Man, I love that guy!

I love Dr. Seuss! That man was a genius with words! His books bring such big ideas down to such a basic level that even the tiniest little people can get them, and yet super wise "adults" like me can learn huge lessons from them too. (I guess, for some reason I feel I need to clarify that the Bible is still the best source of wisdom around and the place to start when you need to get perspective and an expert opinion, but man that Dr. Seuss sure had lots of amazing thoughts to share in his many, many books.)

One passage from "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" that has been rolling around in my brain for days now (years, actually!) and one that resonates so perfectly with the way I often feel is this one:

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled road 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 [um, nope!]
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow. [amen!]
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 pearl, 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.

I did use the book to make sure that I got it all right, but I think I could recite most of the section from memory. I feel like that's how I live my life lately (always, maybe! at least it seems that way) and I wish it weren't! That's something I'm working on. I always feel like I'm waiting for the next "big thing" be it a date night with Kirbs, payday, coffee with friends, dinner at my parents, my meeting tonight, running errands ALONE in the evening, getting EVERY LAST THING checked off my to-do list (that one hasn't really ever happened yet!) next week when I can get my haircut (and then immediately wish it would grow longer!), bedtime so the house will be a little quiet, the concert I have tickets to in a couple weeks, my book that's on request to come in at the library, the girls weekend. I just feel like I bide my time from one "thing" to the next. Inevitably whatever it is I'm waiting for always comes and goes so fast and seems somewhat disappointing after all that waiting and mental "build-up" to it's greatness! And in the meantime I've pretty much missed all the wonderful life happening in between during the time that I am wishing away. Arrrggghh, I hate that! I wish I were better at "being present in the moment", as my friend Jill always says. But, I figure at least I am aware and am trying to work on it. That's somethin', right? I have a feeling I'm not alone in this mindset and that it's probably pretty common, actually, in people in my life-stage, but man, how it bugs me.

Anyway, all that rambling . . . enjoy your day and each and every little moment that makes it up. And have fun during your next "big thing" but also enjoy the time until then because it's probably gonna hold lots of great stuff! "Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying . . . "

Happy Monday!