Oh, the Places You’ll Go

“Every time my surroundings change, I feel enormous sadness. It’s not greater when I leave a place tied to memories, grief or happiness. It’s the change itself that unsettles me, just as liquid in a jar turns cloudy when you shake it.”    ~ Italo Svevo

That’s it. That’s why being settled (and knowing that I’m not) means so much to me at this juncture of life, the day of my 69^th birthday. 

Upon review, I’ve been rattling, moving, growing, caring for, caring about, feeling inspired, being stunned by the calamity of The Times, for as long as I can remember. 

Every action has a reaction. 

Being in one place for a period of weeks, answering the call of my inner voice, is what my soul needed. I didn’t know how bruised I was until I stopped and wrapped myself in stillness. 

In this healing refuge, I need not achieve anything beyond the simplicity of daily life; a walk along the beach, a circle around my hilly neighborhood, the thought of a nap (which I never do, but often think of), reading and writing time, a bit of gardening, drumming, ukelele-ing, dancing and afternoon water-coloring on my shady deck.

A full life. A simple life.

Turbulent peace. 

Even as a transplant retiree, living a hundred miles from the rat race, there are always things to do, not chores (although even as a single person there are bits and pieces to clean up), but hobbies I’ve never had time to pursue, and thoughts I wish to ponder. 

Like …

the green curtain of oak trees that embrace my wee cottage by the sea have eyes engraved in the bark; natural cracks exposed in the trunk, chiseled by wind and the blue jays. While I live alone, my brother trees and sister birds and grandmother ocean sing to me all day long. They have no reason to raise their voices. Their whispers are like a silk ribbon caressing my cheek, reassuring me that their spirit dwells within me, whether I linger here or go elsewhere. 

Change is in forecast. I wish it not, but clouds are gathering.

Until then, I collect experiences the same as I collect heart rocks along San Simeon State Beach shore.

Earlier tonight, I flirted with Giovanni, the talented Italian chef here in town. It’s been a long while since I batted my eyes at a stranger. But it was Giovanni’s porcini fettucine. And the Italian wine. And the bottle(s) of Champagne my new friends and I consumed as we watched the roaring sea. And it was my birthday, nudging precariously close to a daunting decade, that caused me to reconsider love.

This new love of my life, he would have to be pasta.

He would have to be wine.

He would have to allow me to take his face in my hands and kiss him on the forehead and walk away with no regrets. Which is what happened. When I turned 69.

I’m learning, and often failing, to trust the process, grab the ring, enjoy the journey, and all the other cliché truisms. It’s hard not knowing where I’ll be and for how long?

My current rental looks like it’ll be more temporary than I thought. I was in the process of hunkering down and nesting for possibly a year, but change is a’brewing. Yet another reminder to remain light on my feet and flexible of thought, a mantra I apparently need to be reminded of often because like everyone else, I have no idea when or how my story ends. Uncertainty, I’m discovering, is an opportunity for me to open my heart to new possibilities, kind of like the Class of 2025 is experiencing as they close out their senior year.

In thinking about my nephew’s upcoming high school graduation, and my last graduating former students, I recently re-read Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” with a new set of eyes. Seuss wrote the poem in 1990 and died a year later at 87. While most of us associate the poem with school promotion, often gifting the illustrated classic to young ones, Seuss’ words apply to anyone at any stage of life; all of us are in the transition process. Which is comforting, when you think about it; we are all fragile beings searching for certainty in uncertain times, making our relationship with one another all the more vital and precious.

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go” By Dr. Theodore 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 feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ’em over with care.
About some you will l say, “I 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 when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right 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 high fliers
who soar to great heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you’ll 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 not easily done.

You’ll come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lightened. But mostly they are dark.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and your chin!
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 rocks 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
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair 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!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying
You’ll find the bright places
where the Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be 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 your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike.
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to 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’s
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 ¾ percent guaranteed)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!