Dr. Seuss was a pretty cool cat!

Last Friday, was Dr. Seuss's Birthday. It was a fun day at school...Kids wore pajamas (as did some of us adults!) and brought their favorite Dr. Seuss book to school. In kindergarten, the kids ate green eggs & ham, and wore fun red & white striped hats made out of paper plates and striped paper. In third grade, the kids got to bring pillows and blankets from home and sprawl out on the carpet during reading time and read their fave Seuss book. (It's days like these that I really love my job!!)

As I was reading "Oh! The Places You Will Go"...on the carpet with one of the kids, I came across a quote that I loved! I even asked one of the kids if I could borrow his pencil and wrote it down so I'd remember it, and perhaps post it on my mirror when I need a little extra inspiration.

So, here it is:

"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 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!"

I love this!! It is so true. There are days that we fly towards the finish line, passing all sorts of folks on our way. And, then there are those days when we just can't seem to get our groove on, can't seem to get into a rhythm...and as good ol' Doc S. put it so well, so many years ago..."except when you don't because sometimes you won't!" Plain and simple.

I think this is such a great lesson for all of us, including our kids. They need to know that sometimes life won't go the way they want. "Bang-ups", "Hang-ups" and hiccups happen to all of us. One of my favorite things to tell my kids is: "We can't control what happens to us, but we CAN control the way we REACT to what happens to us." Kids need to know how to roll with the punches. They need to know how to get back up when they fall. Life can be tough but, attitude is EVERYTHING and the sooner, they figure that out, the better. And, who better to teach us that than Dr. Seuss?

Happy 108th bday, big guy!