Happy Birthday Dr Seuss

A few days ago I received a belated birthday gift from one of my dearest friends, LOLA. In it were two of the most wonderful things. Well three actually. One was a set of DIY earrings with a fun, funky pattern. I love DIY. I love when people gift me with something that is specific and intentional to me. I also really enjoy wearing earrings. Another thing in the package was the picture to your left, a copy of “Happy Birthday to You”. I had mentioned that I wanted it during my August Birthday Countdown Writing Prompt Challenge. I didn’t really expect anyone to purchase it for me. I was entirely surprised. I also, really loved that this gift came late. It came right when I needed it! (Plus, I’m known to send gifts extremely late. I still have to send a birthday gift to both my sisters from last year. I haven’t forgotten!) The third thing she sent was inside of the book. Lola wrote a letter on the first page and the last page. It was sort of her reflections on the history of us from when we first met in April of 2001, to the milestones in our friendships from our first fight that led to YEARS of silence, to everything. Some of the things she wrote, I just didn’t even expect to read. I didn’t realize she’d remembered or even knew. LOLA, I LOVE YOU! You can learn about Lola HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE. She truly is one of the best people I know!

So this book is so VERY special to me. It’s a Dr Seuss book. It’s something I wanted. Its from someone I love. And it contains one of the most beautiful love letters I’ve ever received. And its also timely since its DR SEUSS’s birthday TODAY!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

A few days ago, I also happened upon a pop up children’s book store that had an Alice and Wonderland theme and towards to back there was a bookcase with every Seuss. Look to the right. –> I about fell over. I was the biggest kid in that bookstore. I just stood there and touched the books, took pictures of the books, held them, hugged them and smiled. I was truly in a happy place.

So this is what I want to say to Seuss. Thank you for creating a safe place for exploratory work. Thank you for using color and words that never did exist. That you for using your imagination and your heart over everyday sensibility. Thank you for your subversive suggestions, your subtle moral tones and your overt messages of love, acceptance and understanding. Thank you for your other work, you know your dark political cartoons that sometimes were inappropriate. Examples are here. In fact, thank you for being inappropriate. For giving a big middle finger to civility and instead letting your spirit roam free. Thank you for the world you created for children. So many people ignore children or repress children or hurt children and you, you uplifted them, taught them, encouraged them and made them feel magical.

Thank you for being exactly who you were and are. You are one of my heroes. You are my favorite. You are made of all things magical.

Seussisms that I like.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

A person’s a person, no matter how small.

SLY MUSINGS

Dr Seuss Loves Me

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss 2011

Imagine – Child Play for Adult Work

OTHERNESS

An Interview with Mrs. Dr Seuss

obSeussed with Dr Seuss – the BEST board on Pinterest Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook – I own this book. If you don’t, your life is NOT completed.

Also… a random fact about me… one of the main reasons that I purchased an iPad was after playing with the various Dr Seuss apps on a friend’s iPad. Up until that point I had 1,000 reasons why my iPhone and Mac laptop were enough. After engaging with that Seuss app, all of sudden, I had a billion reasons on why I needed an iPad.