Zebra

Todays Seuss-ism comes from On Beyond Zebra!

So you see!
There's no end
To the things you might know,
Depending how far beyond Zebra you go!

My purpose in sharing Seuss-isms with you this month was not to preach to you on how to live, but to encourage you to never give up on life in general, or yourself in specific. I hope you've enjoyed this journey as much as I have!

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities." - Dr. Seuss

You

Dr. Seuss wrote a lot about having confidence, and about becoming the best possible version of yourself. One of my favorite examples of this comes from Happy Birthday to You!

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!


So go ahead and celebrate yourself - you only have one more post to go to complete the "A to Z Challenge"!

X's

Dr. Seuss is famous for his "X" creations. His ability to appeal to a xenophile (one attracted to foreign things) and his lessons for those with Xenophobia (fear or maybe even hatred of strangers or of anything that is foreign to them) are apparent in all of his creations. However, one of my favorite examples comes from If I Ran The Zoo:

And when I've caught him,

Then the next thing you know

I'll go and I'll capture

A wild Tick-Tack-Toe,
With X's that win
And with Zeros that lose.
He'll look mighty good
In this Zoo of McGrew's.

Wisdom

Todays Seuss-ism comes from My Uncle Terwilliger on the Art of Eating Popovers and deals with recognizing wisdom:

My uncle ordered popovers from the restaurant's bill of fare.
And, when they were served, he regarded them with a penetrating stare.
Then he spoke great words of wisdom as he sat there on that chair:
To eat these things, said my uncle, You must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what's solid, but you must spit out the air!
And as you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air. And be careful what you swallow.

Voice

Todays Seuss-ism comes from Horton Hears a Who and serves to remind us of how important the individual voice is, but also how deafening collective voices can become.

This", cried the Mayor, "is your town's darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of their country!", he said.
"We've GOT to make noises in greater amounts!
So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!"

This could be a great encouragement to get citizens to vote. Make sure your VOICE is heard!

Unexpected

Dr. Seuss often encouraged us to expect the unexpected. His books by definition could be a lesson in the unexpected - with his own vocabulary and fun catchy phrases, he has unexpectedly delighted children around the world. Todays Seuss-ism comes from Marco Comes Late:

I heard a strange 'peep' and I took a quick look
And you know what I saw with the look that I took?
A bird laid an egg on my 'rithmetic book!

Embrace the unexpected!

Truth

Todays Seuss-ism come from And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and is a reminder to tell the truth:


Stop telling such outlandish tales.
Sop turning minnows into whales.

Strengths

So many of the good doctors tales dealt with finding inner STRENGTH. Todays Seuss-ism comes from Happy Birthday to You!

 

"I am what I am! That's a great thing to be!"

 

Stop using the excuse "I can't" and focus on what you "can."

Read

Todays Seuss-ism comes from I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!

Quality

Today's Seuss-ism comes from The Lorax and teaches us about quality.

Many Seuss books deal with topics of quality - quality in the tasks we perform, quality with which we treat each other, and the quality with which we treat our environment.

Are you working towards quality of life?

Patience

Todays Seuss-ism comes from McElligot's Pool and is just one of the times Seuss shows us how to be patient:


If I wait long enough;
if I'm patient and cool,
Who knows what I'll catch
in McElligot's Pool!

Obsess

Todays Seuss-ism comes from The Strange Shirt Spot and serves as a reminder to us that it is never a good idea to obsess.


This spot! It was driving me
out of my mind!
What a spot - what a spot
for a fellow to find!
My troubles were growing.
The way it kept going!
Where would it go next?
There was no way of knowing.

New

It's funny how much we hate trying new things - especially when we are young. Todays Seuss-ism from Green Eggs and Ham is just one instance of how the good doctor showed us that new can be a good thing.

I do not like
green eggs
and ham!
I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.

You do not like them.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say.

Multitasking

Seuss taught us the skill of Multitasking. Todays Seuss-ism comes from The Cat in the Hat

I can hold up the cup
And the milk and the cake!
I can hold up these books!
And the fish on the rake!
I can hold the toy ship
And a little toy man!
And look! With my tail
I can hold a red fan!
I can fan with the fan
As I hop on the ball!
But that is not all.
Oh, no.
That is not all...

Loyalty

I meant what I said
And I said what I meant...
An elephant's faithful
One hundred per cent!


I absolutely adore Horton. Thankfully Seuss gave us several books with this character, and loyalty is just one of the many ethical lessons we enjoyed learning from him.


How much do you value loyalty?

Knowing

Todays Seuss-ism comes from Oh, the Places You'll Go! and is all about Knowing.

I've always liked this quote because you are the only one who can decide who you are, what you know, and where you'll go.

Knowledge is power, and knowing yourself is a comfortable wisdom that no one can take away!

What do you know?

Justice

Yertle the Turtle gives us many great words of wisdom. Today's Seuss-ism teaches us about Justice:


I know, up on top
you are seeing great sights,
But down at the bottom
we, too, should have rights.


If only our politicians and some of the wealthy could take this one to heart.

Improvise

One of my favorite Seuss-isms, learning to Improvise, comes from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

"All I need is a reindeer..."
The Grinch looked around.
But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch...?
No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"
So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some red thread
And he tied a big horn on the top of his head.

Hosting

Dr. Seuss taught us about the right way to behave as well as the wrong. Todays Seuss-ism is about being a good Host and comes from Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose:

You couldn't say "Skat!" cause that wouldn't be right.
You couldn't shout "Scram!" cause that isn't polite.
A host has to put up with all kinds of pests,
For a host, above all, must be nice to his guests.
So you'd try hard to smile, and you'd try to look sweet
And you'd go right on looking for moose-moss to eat.

Grateful

Todays Seuss-ism can be found in Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? The good doctor reminds us to be grateful for what we are, and what we have, even when they don't seem enough.

When you think things are bad,
when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad...
you should do what I do!
Just tell yourself, Duckie,
you're really quite lucky!
Some people are much more...
oh, ever so much more...
oh, muchly much-much more
unlucky than you!

Freedom

Today's Seuss-ism comes from Yertle the Turtle:

Don't you love how he snuck such marvelous words of wisdom and simple revelations into his tales? We never consciously notice them at such a young age. It's wonderful to revisit them as adults and realize how much has stayed with us, and how many of his words were filled with more wisdom than nonsense.

Everyone is Equal

I'm quite happy to say
That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day,
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
                                         - The Sneetches


Seuss is one of my favorite Fathers of Equality. So many of his tales taught lessons without preaching. Today's Seuss-ism is a reminder that Everyone is Created Equal. It's up to us to model that behavior.

Diversity

We see them come.
We see them go.
Some are fast.
And some are slow.
Some are high.
And some are low.
Not one of them
is like another.
Don't ask us why.
Go ask your mother.
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Seuss showed us many things, including how to cherish Diversity. He gave us an appreciation for differences in shapes, sizes, abilities, looks, and language. He even created much of his own vocabulary to give us those worlds and books we enjoy so much.

HAPPY EASTER!

Chances

Today's Seuss-ism is about taking Chances and comes from Scrambled Eggs Super!

The places I hiked to!
The roads that I rambled
To find the best eggs
that have ever been scrambled!...
If you want to get eggs
you can't buy at a store,
You have to do things
never thought of before.

Do what scares you - try new avenues - the same routine yields the same results so dare to try something different and take a CHANCE!

Brainstorm

As promised, my posts this month will be based on a Seuss-ism...

Today is about "Brainstorming" and the quote is from The Glunk That Got Thunk

"Think! Think!" she cried.
Her Thinker-Upper gave a snorty snore.
It started thunk-thunk-thunking
As it never had before.
With all her might, her eyes shut tight,
She cried, "Thunk-thunk some more!"

Don't give up - You are smart enough to figure anything out!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group and A to Z Challenge

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.


Today is also the first day of the "A to Z Challenge" and as promised, my posts this month will be based on a Seuss-ism...

Today is about "Facing Up to Adversity" and while this theme can be found in MANY books, including Seuss titles, today's quote is from I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew.

 

No matter what struggles you are facing in your life - professional or personal - each day is a fresh start and a chance to conquer anything! Best of luck, and if you are participating in this challenge, I look forward to visiting with you!