There is a commonly held belief that there is no creature slower than the snail or sloth, but I beg to differ. These people have obviously never attempted to convince a young child that it is time for bed. The excruciatingly slow movements my sister exhibits every single night during the bedtime process make tortoises look like Olympic sprinters. Only after much bargaining, bribing and begging (mostly my own), my sister is finally in bed, impatiently waiting for me to leave the room so she can “sneak” back out and reunite with her imaginary family. I mentally run through her bedtime routine as she closes her eyes and feigns snoring in preparation for her (nightly) grand escape:

Toys put away? That’s gonna have to be tomorrow’s problem, or maybe the next day, possibly the day after, definitely before the weekend (I hope).

Bathed? Well, my clothes are soaked. At least one of us is clean.

Teeth brushed? If mouthwash counts.

Teddy bears lined up at the edge of the bed? Only took her about 27 minutes.

Tucked into the covers? Uh-oh, her blankie! How is it that she always misplaces the one thing she never lets out of her grasp?

Bedtime story? It’s about time.

Decision time. On the shelf sits “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss and “Green Eggs and Ham” by (you guessed it) Dr. Seuss. I pick a book at random and what do you know, it’s one of Dr Seuss’. As I turn the frayed pages barely held together by whatever’s left of the book’s worn out binding, a smile slowly slides across my face. Although I won’t readily admit it, I truly love Dr Seuss’ works. His poems are exactly what I need at the end of a long day; they bring me joy while simultaneously impelling me to do a little soul searching through examining many of the choices I have made and those yet to come.

For your reading pleasure, I have provided an excerpt of my personal favorite poem by Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go”:

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 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!