"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!"
Congrats! You’ve made it this far. Whether you’re off to college or off to start working, you’re off and away.
"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
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 and you alone are in control of your future. You have a brain and you have feet, it is up to you to head off in any direction you so may choose.
"You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will 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."
There are a lot of rough places out there. Whether a bad relationship, a dangerous scenario, or even a sketchy street, rough places will surround you everywhere you turn. Make sure you’re always cautious when moving forward.
"And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town."
Never be afraid to walk away from a situation you feel uncomfortable in. You are done with high school and moving on into a much bigger world. There are many times you will find yourself somewhere you simply do not want to be. Never feel guilty for getting up and leaving. Your instincts are there for a reason, trust them.
“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 then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too."
Sometimes things start happening around you before you can even realize it. Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re bad. You must always remember to keep moving forward. No matter where you are, keep moving forward.
“OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high 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 will top all the rest.”
There are a lot of ‘up’ moments ahead of you. There are days where you will feel on top of the world, completely unstoppable. Embrace these moments.
"Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't."
With good comes bad. Embrace these moments just as much as you would the good ones. The bad ones truly help mold you. They help you appreciate the good ones when they come by.
"I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you."
The world gets rough. No matter who you are, you are going to have bad days. You are going to have days where you want to curl up in a ball and never leave your bed again.
"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."
Coming out of these bad moments is not easily done. You may pick yourself up, still with bruises and all, only to find out that you’re still in this slump.
"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?"
You will eventually find yourself in a place so dark you didn’t even know it could be that dark. Moving forward is scary. Trying new things is scary. What if you lose? What if you fall down? But what if you win? You will never know the outcome if you don’t try. Try new things that you stand to gain something from. It can be scary, yes, but the end result is worth it.
"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."
Making decisions is hard. Especially if you’ve had someone help you all your life. When it comes to making decisions pertaining to you, it may seem as though there are a million different options. Unfortunately, life doesn’t have a roadmap. Most times you must take a blind leap of faith and hope for the best.
"You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross 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 the 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."
The ‘Waiting Place’ is a dangerous place to be. It is easy to become content with where you are, it is so very easy. From here, you can easily get stuck in this place of waiting around for something to happen. Avoid it. If you want something, go get it for yourself. Work for it. Strive for it. Don’t wait around, you will find that nothing comes to those who do.
“NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where 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 are 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 as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV."
Again, you will have your up days. There will be days where you are on top of the world. Where YOU are the best at something. Where no one can defeat you.
"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."
You’ll find that you will be lonely. No matter what direction in life you choose to go, you will find that there are days where you are simply alone. That’s okay. Embrace being by yourself. It is good to be lonely once in awhile. When you are alone with you and your thoughts, you can truly figure out who you are and what you want out of life.
"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."
It’s when you have no one else to lean on that you find out just how strong you are and who you truly are. Both of these things are something every young adult should begin to figure out for him or herself.
"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."
Keep moving forward. You will have rainy days, you will make enemies, you will hear the “Hakken-Kraks howl” and you will walk through some of the darkest places you didn’t even know existed. But keep moving forward. There is no problem in life that is too big to handle. Never run away from a problem. Face it and grow stronger from it.
"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 foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left."
You are going to make mistakes. You are going to fail. You are going to disapoint others and you may even disappoint yourself. It’s okay. The world is not going to end. Mistakes and failure are how we learn. They enable us to try new tactics to succeed. Fail and mess up, it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.
"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 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 the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!"
There is a big world out there waiting to be seen. Get on your way and go conquer it.
