Thank You Dr. Seuss.
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009Growing up, I loved reading Dr. Seuss books. Green Eggs and Ham was my all-time favorite. I also liked the stories about the Zax and Sneetches. Even now as an adult, I like giving Dr. Seuss books to my friends who are having kids.
What I am realizing as an adult is how influential those books have been in my life. The lessons in them that were transparent to me as a child are now a reminder of the things I try to be and do.
Green Eggs and Ham is still one of my favorite children’s books. I love the persistence of Sam I Am and how hard he tries to get the green eggs and ham eaten. Sam I Am has taught all of us to not be afraid to try new things.
Another one of my favorite stories was bout the North Going Zax and the South Going Zax. They came to a point where they both faced each other and refused to move. They were so set in their ways, that a whole city built up around them. I learned that is it not always ok to be stubborn.
Then there is the story about the Sneetches. One set had stars on their bellies and the others did not. The ones without stars on their bellies wanted to get stars to be considered cool and equal to the star belly Sneetches. After a bunch of adding and removing of stars, the Sneetches forgot who originally had a star on their belly and who did not. They realize that as long as they were Sneetches, it didn’t matter what was on their belly.
All of these lessons were great to learn as a kid and stuck with me as I was growing up. Now that I am an adult, these lessons are just as applicable.
In a new or current job or in life in general, it pays to be willing to try new things, being flexible and be true to who you are.
Thank you Dr. Seuss.
What things that you learned as a child still help you today?
