On March 2, 1904 Theodore Geisel was born and today, we remember him and honor his innumerable contributions to literacy and the millions of lives he has helped influence with his writing.
I have no problems declaring Dr. Seuss to be the most influential writer that has walked this earth. Every one of you reading this know him, his beautiful flowing rhymes, his whimsical characters, the spark of inspiration & imagination he gave and happy moments he brought to our childhoods and those of our posterity.
He was a favorite of mine and my children too. When my boys were little and they'd get tucked in at night, it was story time and their favorite was Dr. Seuss. In particular? We LOVED "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!" Even now, when they're both teenagers I can recite a large portion of that book from memory.
He didn't just inspire a generation, he has inspired multiple generations and reminded all of us of some very important things:
~"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
~"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"
~"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~"You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."
~"You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so...Get on your way!"
~"Today you are YOU, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!"
~"Don't give up. I believe in you all. A person's a person, no matter how small."
~"Will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent) Guaranteed!"
~"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
~"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"
I hope that we, as a people, don't become so jaded by political correctness and looking for hate where it doesn't exist that we sacrifice the treasure that is Dr. Seuss. I am grateful for his influence in my life and my love of literature, prose and whimsy. I'm grateful for that same influence in my children's lives, too. He was a man who never had children of his own but he knew all that was good & great in this life could be found in the hearts of the children. He strove to teach all of us morals and lessons that might help us become better and make positive changes in this world.
Do yourself a favor, go read a Dr. Seuss story with someone you love today. Thank you Dr. Seuss.
