Our friend Wm Jones sent us this customized version of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. We really like it and hopefully you will to.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
(Original) by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to great places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feets in your shoes.
You can steer yourselves
any direction you choose.
You are on your own. And you know what you know.
And you are the you who’ll decide where YOU go.
You’ll look up and down maps. Look ’em over with care.
About some you will say, “We 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 ride 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 far sailors
who sail to far sites.
You won’t lag behind, because at 43 feet
you’ll have great hull speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you sail, 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 done usualy with rum.)
You will come to a place where the reefs are not marked.
Some buoys are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could scrape both bowsprit and keel!
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 wind 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!
You’ll drop anchor and make fish for stew.
Have a beer or some rum
But what ever you do
Remember your partner came there just for you!
Somehow you two will 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 that you might face.
Ready because you’ve got Sailor Jerry induced grace!
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 just for fun
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 wind loudly howl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks prowl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your Pearl Lee may leak.
On and on you will sail,
And I know you’ll sail far
and face 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 is
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.)
GUYS, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Keg or Tom or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your sail boat is waiting.
So…get on your way!
